PM commissions 3 Made-In-India warships
Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear on Sunday that India does not want to remain merely a buyer of foreign defence products or allow its military strength to be reduced to a “marketplace” for the world. He asserted that the country would become “decisive” when it emerges as a full-fledged defence manufacturer.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the tri-commissioning of INS Agray, INS Dunagiri and INS Sanshodhak, built by defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, into the Indian Navy before concluding his two-day state visit. Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, West Bengal Governor R.N. Ravi and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attended the ceremony.
Modi said, “Today, India does not want to remain merely a buyer in the defence sector. Our military strength cannot be reduced to a marketplace for the world. The identity of our strength lies not in being a market, but in our self-reliance. India wants to be a manufacturer. And the day we become manufacturers, we will also become decisive. We are moving rapidly in this direction.”
He said India’s total defence production had risen to ₹1.8 lakh crore from nearly ₹40,000 crore after 2014, while defence exports had increased to ₹40,000 crore from ₹700 crore, with more than 80 countries now buying Indian defence products.
Referring to the three newly commissioned warships, the Prime Minister said, “They are symbols of three important resolutions of India. They have been built in India. Their designs were prepared in India. Their construction involved the talent of Indian industries, the skill of Indian engineers and the hard work of Indian workers.”
Modi said more than 40 indigenous warships and submarines had been inducted into the Navy in recent years and 45 major naval platforms were under construction. Underlining the importance of maritime power, he said, “The world bears witness that no nation can become a great power without maritime capability. Development is linked to the seas, security is linked to the seas, prosperity is linked to the seas.”
He said most of the world’s trade moved through maritime routes, while vast data networks passed beneath the oceans. In the coming years, critical minerals, deep-sea resources and new energy sources would also be linked to the seas, he said.
“The stronger a nation’s maritime strength, the stronger its economic and strategic influence. India understands this reality well. India is preparing itself for it,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said India had entered the next phase of maritime power and had begun moving forward with a new vision for the shipbuilding sector. “India also knows that strength is equally necessary to safeguard peace. Security is essential to protect prosperity. And self-reliance is indispensable for building the future,” he said.
Highlighting job opportunities in the sector, Modi said India’s maritime sector had the potential to generate millions of jobs in the coming years. “We do not see the maritime sector as an isolated sector. We see it as the employment engine of a developed India. A modern ship requires hundreds of tonnes of steel, electronics, machinery and thousands of components. Behind all this, thousands of companies work, which means thousands of youth get employment,” he said.
Defence by numbers
· Production: ₹1.8 lakh cr
· Exports: ₹40,000 cr
· Buyers: 80+ nations
· 40+ warships inducted
· 45 platforms being built
Quote: India wants to be a defence manufacturer. And the day we become manufacturers, we will also become decisive. We are moving rapidly in this direction.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi
