Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asserted that India is capable of becoming a global shipbuilding hub, taking advantage of a "vacuum" occurring in the industry among the traditional shipbuilding countries.
Singh was addressing a gathering here after virtually laying the foundation stone for five expansion projects of the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, and Yantra India Ltd.
He also said that rapid developments were taking place in shipbuilding technology.
Traditional manufacturers were slowly bringing down production, and India can capture this opportunity, Singh said.
"India is capable of seizing this opportunity to become a global shipbuilding hub," the defence minister said.
The country has a large workforce, steel companies and the will power to adapt to new technologies, said Singh, who was accompanied by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari during the foundation-laying ceremony in Kolkata.Singh said foundation was laid for five projects worth nearly Rs 3,500 crore in the state.
The projects comprise three facilities of GRSE and two of Yantra India.
He also said that the West Bengal government will take steps to usher in a "new renaissance of development".
"Change in Bengal took place for development of the state. The news of closures and lockouts of factories in West Bengal has now been replaced by the launch of new projects," Singh said.
Speaking on the occasion, Adhikari alleged that previous governments in West Bengal did not work with the Centre for development of the state."Earlier governments in West Bengal did not work with the Centre for development of the state. The negativity of 50 years has ended, and our double-engine government will now ensure that the state advances," he asserted.
A GRSE official said that as part of its capacity expansion, the company has signed lease agreements with the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) for two small shipyards on either bank of the Hooghly, along with a 32-acre riverside property at Raichak, to enhance capabilities in warship construction and refit.
The Raichak facility will be developed as a shipbuilding hub with an investment of over Rs 2,500 crore, he said.
At Yantra India's Metal and Steel Factory (MSF), Ishapore, two facilities with a combined investment of over Rs 750 crore will strengthen indigenous metallurgical and defence manufacturing, the official said.
"These projects will strengthen the capabilities of GRSE, while supporting the revival of West Bengal's industrial ecosystem through employment generation and increased opportunities for ancillary industries, particularly MSMEs," he said.