Bengal gets Rs 3,500 crore push as India eyes global shipbuilding leadership

“We should focus on what we can offer to the world. You have already exported ships on two occasions, and several friendly nations are looking to India to meet their naval ship requirements…We need to reduce our costs and investments while improving quality and ensuring timely delivery,” Singh urged. 

Singh laid the foundation for five brownfield expansion projects of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. and Yantra India Limited through a remote ceremony during his visit to Kolkata. The projects mark a significant expansionof shipbuilding and defence manufacturing capabilities in the eastern state. It is projected to — boosting domestic production and enhancing operational infrastructure required by maritime forces and key strategic sectors.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari also highlighted the state’s growing cooperation with the Centre as he assured the ‘double-engine’ government was now operating at full speed.

Rs 3,500 crore investment 

The five projects comprise three GRSE facilities in Kolkata, Howrah and Raichak as well as the Yantra India Metal and Steel Factory in Ishapore — aimed at strengthening the shipbuilding, ship repair, metallurgical and defence production capabilities of India. The ceremonies were conducted simultaneously across sites in Kidderpore, Shalimar, Raichak, and Ishapore. 

The Navratna defence PSU has signed lease agreements with the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata to develop three sites along the Hooghly River. Meanwhile, YIL is leading two projects worth more than Rs 750 crore to bolster indigenous metallurgical output through its factory in Ishapore.

Bengal’s Rs 2,500 crore shipbuilding hub

According to an official release, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers will lead three of the projects launched in West Bengal over the weekend.

The largest among the three projects announced on Sunday is a 32-acre riverside facility at Raichak — planned as a major shipbuilding hub with an investment exceeding Rs 2,500 crore. According to an official release, the facility includes a 356-metre waterfront, a 96-metre jetty, and an 8-to-10-metre draught. It also includes a 200-metre dry dock, slipway, launching pad, and block fabrication units capable of constructing warships up to 200 metres and commercial vessels up to 60,000 DWT.

A sum of Rs 100 crore was allocated for rejuvenation of a  4-acre Timber Pond facility at Shalimar for medium-sized shipbuilding and repairs, restoring its 130-metre dry dock and setting up a 120-metre slipway. GRSE also allocated around Rs 70 crore toward the Damodar facility at Kidderpore Docks to carry out medium-sized vessel repairs and manufacture electric ferries and small crafts along its 25-metre waterfront.

The prominent defence shipyard has built and delivered more than 800 marine platforms to the Indian Navy and Coast Guard as well as friendly foreign nations since it was nationalised in 1960. This lengthy list includes 118 warships — with GRSE building the first indigenous warship (INS Ajay) and the first export warship (CGS Barracuda) for the Mauritius government. A PIB press note from July adds that the company recorded sustained growth in its financial performance over the past five years, with revenue from operations increasing from Rs 1,754 crore in FY22 to Rs 7,002 crore in FY26.

Defense manufacturing upgrades

A relatively new defence manufacturing company called Yantra India will field two additional investments allocated on Sunday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh voiced hope that the initiative would “fully secure the critical supply chain for advanced weapons and strategic components”.

“YIL has invested over Rs 750 crore in MSF Ishapore. By replacing legacy systems dating back to 1976, this investment will establish Industry 4.0-capable precision manufacturing, accelerating our progress towards indigenous manufacturing of weaponry,” PIB quoted him as saying.

The two investments include the installation of a Rs 277.59 crore 3,000-ton Heavy Duty Hydraulic Open Die Forging Press to replace an older unit for the manufacture of gun barrels, ammunition components, and heavy forgings. According to a PIB release, it is “projected to yield annual savings of Rs 25.58 crore by drastically cutting downtime and maintenance costs, while supporting an annual turnover of Rs 500 crore”.  

“The second addition is the Radial Forging Plant, equipped with comprehensive upstream and downstream facilities. Built with an outlay of Rs 473.84 crore and an execution timeline of 30 months, this plant introduces advanced radial forging technology to MSF Ishapore. It significantly expands YIL’s capability to produce super alloy forgings, hollow tubes for aerial bombs, critical hardware for future ordnance systems, high-strength railway axles and nuclear reactor components,” the press note added.

‘Deliver quality products at competitive prices’

Singh also reiterated calls for the defence sector to become completely aatmanirbhar — adding that India should aim to “deliver quality products at competitive prices” globally. The Defence Minister noted that self-reliance was not merely a policy but a “force multiplier for battlefield capability”. He highlighted a major opportunity for the country to emerge as a global shipbuilding hub amid India’s growing capabilities and rising global demand and declining capacity in some traditional shipbuilding nations.

“While profit margins might be lower initially, higher volumes will compensate for them, and we must maintain this approach. We need to reduce our costs and investments while improving quality and ensuring timely delivery. Only then will we be able to hold our ground in the face of global competition,” Singh added.