Hailing India’s indigenous industrial and naval capabilities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that about 40 made-in-India warships and submarines have joined the navy in recent years, and 45 large naval platforms are under construction.
Prime Minister Modi participated in the triple commissioning ceremony of INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak and INS Agray in the Indian Navy in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Addressing the tri-commissioning ceremony of three indigenous ships, Prime Minister Modi said the maritime sector is not an isolated sector and described it as the “employment engine of a developed India”.
He said that India, being an innovative nation, would also be a global decision maker in the maritime sector.
“India aspires to be Nirmata (innovative), and as innovators, we will also become Nirnayak (decisive). We are moving rapidly in this direction. In recent years, more than 40 made-in-India warships and submarines have joined the Navy. This means that the Indian Navy is gaining new strength almost every few weeks. Currently, 45 large naval platforms are under construction. This is not just a number, it is a testimony to India’s ability to achieve success,” the Prime Minister said. “Industrial capacity is a sign of India’s future.”
He added: “India’s maritime sector has the potential to create millions of new jobs in the coming years. This is why we do not consider the maritime sector just an isolated sector. Rather, we see it as the employment engine of developed India. A modern ship requires hundreds of tons of steel, electronics, machinery and thousands of components, and thousands of companies are working behind all this. This means that thousands of young people are getting employment opportunities.”
Moreover, he said India has moved to the next stage of becoming a maritime power through its shipbuilding sector. He pointed out that more than 200 micro, small and medium companies contributed to the construction of the three ships that were commissioned today.
Lauding the policies for the manufacturing and shipbuilding sectors, the Prime Minister said: “More than 200 MSMEs contributed to the construction of the three ships that were commissioned today. We can imagine the huge number of jobs these 200 MSMEs, these small industries would have generated. It is time for India to enter the next phase of maritime power. Therefore, India has started moving forward with a new vision for the shipbuilding sector.”
“Several policy reforms have been implemented in recent years. Special steps have been taken to increase domestic manufacturing capacity, and shipbuilding, ship repair, ship recycling and maintenance, repair and overhaul are seen as a major national undertaking. The incentive package from $The announcement of Rs 70,000 crore for the shipping sector is not just an economic decision; “It is an investment in India’s maritime future,” Prime Minister Modi said.
The three indigenously designed and built naval ships – INS Dunagiri, an advanced stealth frigate, INS Sanshodhak, a survey (large) ship and INS Agray, an anti-submarine shallow water warship, have been commissioned into the Indian Navy.
The establishment of three indigenously built forward platforms will increase the strength of the Indian Navy.
Designed by the Warship Design Bureau of the Indian Navy as well as by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, and built by GRSE, these ships represent key operational capabilities across sea combat, hydrographic surveying and anti-submarine warfare. (that I)
