New Delhi, 02 November (H.S.): The Ministry of Defence on Monday signed contracts worth Rs. 53,866.50 crore for the acquisition of eight Next-Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy. The agreements were signed with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi.

Under the contracts, GRSE will construct five corvettes, while GSL will build the remaining three.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the project marks a significant milestone in India's indigenous warship design and construction capabilities. It is the first project in which the Indian Navy will independently undertake the indigenous design of the warships, while their construction will be entrusted to Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) selected through a competitive process.

The corvettes will feature advanced capabilities, including sophisticated missile systems, weapons and sensor suites, enabling them to undertake missions across the air, surface and sub-surface domains.

Their induction into the naval fleet is expected to significantly enhance the Indian Navy's operational capabilities. The vessels will strengthen the security of maritime trade routes, support anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations, reinforce coastal defence, facilitate littoral combat operations, and enhance maritime presence and surveillance missions.

The project is also expected to provide a substantial boost to India's indigenous shipbuilding ecosystem by strengthening collaboration among defence public sector undertakings, private shipyards and domestic industrial partners, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Construction of the eight warships is expected to generate approximately 72 lakh person-days of employment at shipyards and 460 lakh person-days in ancillary industries and MSMEs over the next ten years.

Furthermore, by promoting the use of domestically manufactured materials and equipment, indigenous technologies, and Indian skills and expertise, the project represents a significant step towards achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar