Self-Reliant Navy: 8 Next-Gen Corvettes Worth Rs 53,866 Crore

New Delhi, November 2: India is taking a major step to boost its naval strength with the planned construction of eight next-generation corvette warships. The Ministry of Defence has signed contracts totalling Rs 53,866.50 crore with GRSE and Goa Shipyard Limited for building and procuring the vessels.

The agreements were signed on November 2 at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in the national capital, in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

The corvettes will be fitted with advanced missiles, weapons and sensor systems, allowing the Indian Navy to address threats in the air, on the surface of the sea and below the water. Their induction is expected to add considerably to the Navy's operational reach.

For maritime security, the warships will help protect commercial shipping lanes, target hostile warships and locate and fight submarines. They will also reinforce coastal defence, enable military operations in shallow coastal zones and provide sustained surveillance over sea areas.

The shipbuilders were chosen through a competitive selection process. The project is notable because it is the first in which warships based on the Indian Navy's own design will be built by defence public sector undertakings.

GRSE in Kolkata will build five ships under the project, while Goa Shipyard Limited will build three. The Navy will design all the vessels. Private shipyards, Indian industrial partners and MSMEs will also take part, deepening collaboration and technical expertise in the domestic shipbuilding industry.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the project is expected to generate large-scale employment over the next 10 years. Around 72 lakh person-days of work will be created in shipyards, and ancillary industries and the MSME sector are expected to see employment of around 460 72 lakh person-days. In total, the programme is expected to generate lakhs of person-days of employment.

Indian-made equipment, materials, indigenous technology and skilled human resources will be used throughout the project. This is expected to reduce foreign dependence in defence manufacturing and give a boost to domestic industries.

Beyond strengthening the Navy, the eight corvettes will serve as a showcase of India's indigenous capability in warship design and construction, marking a significant step toward defence self-reliance and the Make in India mission.