‘India will build, world will buy’: Rajnath Singh’s ₹3,500 crore global shipbuilding push

New Delhi: India must move beyond self-reliance in defence and build an industry that can compete with the world, the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, said on Sunday as he laid the foundation for five expansion projects of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Yantra India Limited (YIL) worth around ₹3,500 crore at a Bhumi Pujan Samaroh in Kolkata. Singh set a clear goal of making India a global shipbuilding hub, saying the country should build ships not only for its own requirements but also for customers around the world.

The projects will expand GRSE’s shipbuilding and repair facilities in Kolkata, Howrah and Raichak, while YIL will strengthen heavy manufacturing and metallurgical production at Ishapore. Singh said the new capacity would support India’s Atmanirbhar  (self-reliance) drive, create jobs and open more opportunities for MSMEs and ancillary industries in West Bengal.

In a post on X, Singh said modern infrastructure and rising shipbuilding capacity were strengthening India’s position as a maritime power. He said the expansion of GRSE and YIL would give further momentum to indigenous defence manufacturing and help India move towards the goal of becoming a global shipbuilding hub.

Singh also linked the expansion to the experience of Operation Sindoor, saying the operation demonstrated the strength of India’s indigenous weapons and systems. He said self-reliance should not remain only a policy objective but should directly strengthen the country’s battlefield capability.

GRSE gets major capacity boost

The biggest project is a new 32-acre GRSE facility at Raichak in South 24-Parganas, with an investment of more than ₹2,500 crore. The site will have a 356-metre waterfront, a 96-metre jetty and a 200-metre dry dock, along with a slipway, launching pad and block fabrication facilities.

The facility will be able to build warships up to 200 metres long and commercial vessels of up to 60,000 deadweight tonnes. This will give GRSE additional capacity to take on larger naval and commercial shipbuilding projects.

GRSE will also invest around ₹100 crore to revive its four-acre Timber Pond facility at Shalimar in Howrah. The project will restore a 130-metre dry dock and add a 120-metre slipway for medium-sized shipbuilding and repair. At the damodar facility in Kidderpore, around ₹70 crore will be invested for medium-sized vessel repairs and the construction of electric ferries and small craft.

Singh said the expanded facilities could help India become a major ship repair and overhaul centre in the Indian Ocean region. A stronger domestic MRO sector, he said, would save foreign exchange and generate employment.

YIL expands strategic manufacturing

At YIL’s Metal and Steel Factory in Ishapore, two projects involving more than ₹750 crore will strengthen India’s ability to manufacture specialized components for defence and other strategic sectors. A ₹277.59-crore 3,000-tonne heavy duty hydraulic open die forging press will replace the existing 2,650-tonne unit. It will produce gun barrels, ammunition components and heavy forgings.

The second project, a ₹473.84 crore radial forging plant, will manufacture super-alloy forgings, aerial bomb tubes, ordnance hardware, railway axles and components for nuclear reactors. The new facilities will use Industry 4.0 and energy-efficient technologies, helping reduce import dependence and strengthen the domestic supply chain.

India eyes global shipbuilding opportunity

Singh said changing global demand was creating a major opportunity for India. Traditional shipbuilding countries such as the UK, US, Netherlands and France have reduced their capacity over time, while demand for naval and commercial vessels continues to grow. He said this gap, combined with advances in technology, was creating opportunities in ship design, construction and maintenance, repair and overhaul.

India’s large pool of engineers and technical professionals could also help the country become a global ship-design centre, Singh said. He urged GRSE to use its experience of building more than 800 vessels and its expanded infrastructure to increase its presence in international markets.

GRSE is currently building 12 cargo ships for a German company alongside its naval orders. Singh said the project reflected the government’s “Make in India, Make for the World” approach. He also noted that the shipyard had already exported two warships.

Singh said India would have to compete on quality, cost and delivery if it wanted to become a serious global supplier. He called for lower production costs, better quality and timely delivery, saying higher production volumes could help companies offset lower initial profit margins.

The defence minister said the shipbuilding expansion would also give a boost to West Bengal’s industrial economy by creating direct and indirect jobs. He later chaired a meeting with MSME representatives to discuss their role in the expanding defence manufacturing railway ecosystem.

Singh said India’s approach should increasingly focus not on what the country needs to buy from abroad, but on what the world wants to buy from India. The five expansion projects are aimed at building the industrial capacity needed to turn that ambition into reality.