GRSE, Yantra India Launch ₹3,500 Crore Defence Manufacturing Expansion in West Bengal
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, joined by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, performed the bhumi pujan on August 23 for five brownfield expansion projects of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Yantra India Limited (YIL), together worth approximately ₹3,500 crore. The virtual ceremony was held from GRSE Bhavan in Kolkata, with foundation ceremonies conducted simultaneously at sites in Kidderpore, Shalimar, Raichak and Ishapore.
Three of the five projects are being undertaken by GRSE. The largest is a 32-acre shipbuilding facility at Raichak in South 24-Parganas, involving an investment of more than ₹2,500 crore. GRSE has signed lease agreements with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, to develop the Raichak site along with two smaller shipyards on either bank of the Hooghly river. The Raichak facility is planned as a deep-draught hub capable of handling warships up to 200 metres in length and commercial vessels up to 60,000 DWT, featuring a 356-metre waterfront, a 96-metre jetty and a 200-metre dry dock. GRSE has also allocated around ₹100 crore to rejuvenate the four-acre Timber Pond facility at Shalimar for medium-sized shipbuilding and repair work.
YIL is implementing two projects at its Metal and Steel Factory in Ishapore, including a ₹473.84-crore Radial Forging Plant to produce super-alloy forgings, aerial bomb tubes, ordnance components, railway axles and nuclear reactor components.
Both companies' projects will incorporate Industry 4.0 technologies and energy-efficient systems, aimed at reducing import dependence and strengthening domestic capabilities in warship construction, ship repair, defence equipment and metallurgical manufacturing. The expansion is also expected to create opportunities for local micro, small and medium enterprises.