Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, virtually performed the Bhumi Pujan for five expansion projects of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Yantra India Limited (YIL) from Kolkata on August 23.
The projects, worth around ₹3,500 crore, aim to strengthen India’s shipbuilding, ship-repair, metallurgical and defence-production capabilities while creating jobs and opportunities for MSMEs and ancillary industries.
GRSE’s three projects at Raichak, Timber Pond in Shalimar and the Damodar facility at Kidderpore involve investments of over ₹2,500 crore, nearly ₹100 crore and ₹70 crore respectively.
Raichak will feature a 200-metre dry dock, slipway and launching pad, enabling construction of warships up to 200 metres and commercial vessels up to 60,000 tonnes.
Timber Pond will be modernised for medium-vessel construction and repair, while Damodar will support medium-vessel repairs, electric ferries and small craft.
YIL’s two projects at Ishapore, costing over ₹750 crore, include a 3,000-tonne hydraulic forging press and a ₹473.84-crore radial forging plant for gun barrels, ammunition, defence forgings, railway axles and nuclear components.
Singh said self-reliance is a “force multiplier” for battlefield capability and urged India to become a global shipbuilding and MRO hub. He said the projects advance “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, “Make in India” and “Make for the World”, while Adhikari called them a boost to West Bengal’s industrial revival.
