1 week ago
Rajnath Singh Launches ₹3,500 Crore Bengal Defence Expansion
India has started five large projects to expand defence manufacturing and shipbuilding in West Bengal.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the projects online from Kolkata on Sunday.
Together, they are expected to cost nearly ₹3,500 crore.
Three projects are being developed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, and two by Yantra India.
GRSE will expand facilities at Raichak, Shalimar and Kidderpore.
The projects are intended to help build and repair ships and make important defence materials.
Yantra India will install newer machines for making metal parts used in weapons and other strategic equipment.
Leaders said the work could create jobs and help smaller businesses.
Singh also said India should try to become a major shipbuilding country.
Rajnath Singh virtually laid the foundation for five brownfield expansion projects in West Bengal worth nearly ₹3,500 crore.
The projects include three Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers facilities and two Yantra India projects.
GRSE’s expansion covers sites at Raichak, Shalimar and Kidderpore, including leased properties along the Hooghly River.
The Raichak facility is planned as a major shipbuilding hub, while Shalimar and Kidderpore will support vessel construction and repairs.
Singh said India could fill a global shipbuilding gap, while officials linked the projects to self-reliance, jobs and opportunities for smaller industries.
- Who
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Yantra India Ltd, and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
- What
- The foundation-laying ceremony for five brownfield defence and industrial expansion projects worth nearly ₹3,500 crore.
- Where
- Kolkata and other West Bengal locations, including Raichak, Shalimar, Kidderpore and Ishapore.
- When
- Sunday; the articles do not provide a specific calendar date.
- Why
- To expand shipbuilding, ship repair and defence manufacturing, support self-reliance, create employment and strengthen opportunities for ancillary industries.
Government and project supporters
Criticism of previous governments
Development approach
Government and project supporters
Rajnath Singh and Suvendu Adhikari said the projects could begin a new phase of development in West Bengal through cooperation between the state and central governments.
Criticism of previous governments
Adhikari criticised previous Bengal governments, saying they had not worked with the central government on the state’s development. The reports do not include a response from those governments.
Industrial outlook
Government and project supporters
Singh said the launch of new projects represented a shift from factory closures and lockouts, and that India could use a global shipbuilding vacuum to become a major hub.
Criticism of previous governments
The articles report criticism of the earlier industrial record but provide no opposing assessment of the new projects or their economic prospects.
Defence production strategy
Government and project supporters
Singh called for self-reliance, competitive prices, better quality and timely delivery so India could serve domestic and international defence markets.
Criticism of previous governments
No organised opposition to this strategy is quoted in the articles; the reports only note that the government faces pressure to reduce costs while improving quality and delivery.
Key facts
- Total investment
- Nearly ₹3,500 crore
- Number of projects
- Five brownfield expansion projects
- Project distribution
- Three Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers facilities and two Yantra India projects
- GRSE investment
- More than ₹2,500 crore for the 32-acre Raichak facility; ₹100 crore for Shalimar and around ₹70 crore for Kidderpore, according to the reports
- Raichak facility
- Planned features include a 356-metre waterfront, 96-metre jetty, 200-metre dry dock, slipway and launching pad
- Yantra India investment
- More than ₹750 crore at Metal and Steel Factory Ishapore, including a heavy-duty forging press and a radial forging plant
- Expected benefits
- Greater shipbuilding and refit capacity, modernised defence manufacturing, employment generation and more opportunities for ancillary MSMEs
Quotes
Suvendu Adhikari
Chief Minister of West Bengal
“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”
financialexpress.com
“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.”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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