New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence on Monday signed contracts worth Rs 53,866.50 crore with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for the construction of eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy.
The project marks a major step towards strengthening India’s indigenous warship-building capabilities and enhancing the Navy’s operational preparedness, according to an official statement.
The contracts were signed in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi.
Under the agreement, GRSE will construct five NGCs, while GSL will build the remaining three. The project introduces a significant milestone in India’s naval shipbuilding programme, as the vessels will be indigenously designed by the Indian Navy and constructed by Defence Public Sector Undertakings selected through a competitive process.
The initiative is the first project of its kind in which the Indian Navy will undertake indigenous design of the warships, while the construction responsibility will be assigned to selected defence shipyards through a competitive selection process.
The eight corvettes will feature advanced missiles, weapons systems and sensor suites, providing them with capabilities to undertake operations across the air, surface and sub-surface domains.
Their induction is expected to significantly strengthen the Indian Navy’s ability to protect maritime trade routes and conduct anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations. The vessels will also support coastal defence, littoral combat operations, maritime presence and surveillance missions.
The acquisition comes at a time when strengthening maritime security and safeguarding India’s strategic interests at sea remain important priorities. With their advanced operational capabilities, the Next Generation Corvettes will add to the Navy’s ability to respond to a wide range of maritime security challenges.
Major boost to indigenous shipbuilding and employment
Beyond strengthening naval capabilities, the project is expected to provide a substantial boost to India’s domestic shipbuilding industry and its network of industrial partners.
The programme will promote collaboration among Defence Public Sector Undertakings, private shipyards and Indian industrial partners, including micro, small and medium enterprises.
The increased participation of domestic industries is expected to strengthen the country’s defence manufacturing ecosystem and expand indigenous production capabilities.
According to the Defence Ministry, construction of the eight warships is expected to generate approximately 72 lakh person-days of employment in the shipyards over the next ten years. Another 460 lakh person-days of employment are expected to be generated in ancillary industries and MSMEs during the same period.
The project will also encourage the use of Made-in-India materials and equipment, indigenous technologies and Indian skills and expertise, further strengthening domestic industrial capabilities.
The contracts represent another significant step towards achieving Aatmanirbharta in defence manufacturing and advancing the government’s Make-in-India initiative.
By combining indigenous warship design with domestic construction and wider industrial participation, the Next Generation Corvette programme is expected to strengthen both India’s maritime defence capabilities and its long-term self-reliance in naval shipbuilding.
