Rajnath Singh Launches Rs 3,500 Crore Defence Projects in West Bengal

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually laid the foundation stones for five brownfield expansion projects for Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Yantra India Limited (YIL) in West Bengal on August 23, 2026. The initiatives, totaling approximately Rs 3,500 crore, are part of the Make in India program and the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, which aims to place India among the top five shipbuilding nations by 2047.

GRSE signed lease agreements with the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority to develop three sites along the Hooghly river. This includes a major shipbuilding hub at Raichak with an investment exceeding Rs 2,500 crore for warships up to 200 metres, as well as facilities at Timber Pond in Shalimar and the Damodar complex in Kidderpore for vessel repairs and electric ferry manufacturing. Simultaneously, YIL is investing over Rs 750 crore at its Metal and Steel Factory in Ishapore to install a Heavy Duty Hydraulic Open Die Forging Press and a Radial Forging Plant for gun barrels and nuclear reactor components.

Singh stated that India can capture a global vacuum in shipbuilding caused by declining activity in developed nations such as the UK, USA, Netherlands, and France. He emphasized that self-reliance is a force multiplier for battlefield capability and noted that GRSE is already constructing 12 cargo ships for a German company. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attended the ceremony, asserting that a double-engine government would ensure the state's industrial revival.