In a gigantic approach to fulfil the twin objectives of creating higher growth in industrial activities through the "Make in India", while simultaneously ensuring self- sufficiency in defence equipments and other products, Modi Government has taken a major step to build a formidable blue-water Navy for the future.
Government has cleared one major project for indigenous construction of seven numbers of stealth frigates and six nuclear-powered attack submarines, at a total cost of nearly Rs 1 lakh crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Security took these decisions in tune with the “critical necessity” for India to bolster its “overall deterrence capability” in the entire Indian Ocean Region (IOR), especially its primary area of strategic interest stretching from the Persian Gulf to Malacca Strait.
It is noted through this decision by making financial provisions for the ‘Project-17A’, a fast approach is created to build stealth frigates in the two major ship building establishment, while four will be constructed at Mazagon Docks in Mumbai and three in Garden Reach Shipbuilders in Kolkata.
Both defence shipyards are much geared up for the project because it’s a “follow-on” to the three 6,100-tonne stealth frigates built by MDL, INS Shivalik, INS Satpura and INS Sahyadari, which were inducted in 2010-12.
It was further described that the new multi-mission frigates will be larger, faster and stealthier than the Shivaliks category, an big improvement in the overall quality while packing it with more advanced weapons and sensors to enable it to operate in “a multi-threat environment”.Yes the completion time is long that and even may well take a decade to build all the seven frigates.
The complex and strategic project for the nuclear-powered submarines will take longer time for main production, even after this CCS approval, technical parameters or naval staff qualitative requirements will now be drafted for the much crucial but highly advanced technology 6,000+ tonne submarines.
The SSNs are likely to be constructed at the secretive ship-building centre in Vizag, where India’s first three SSBNs, the nuclear-powered submarines with nuclear ballistic missiles, are being built to complete the country’s nuclear weapons triad.
India Honest shows its deep satisfaction on the fast initiative and decision on the Indigenous Construction of “critical necessity” of our Navy, that has been a laggard for many years in last two UPA ministries, subdued by their travesty in corruption scams, when many defence equipment suppliers were blacklisted, even halting crucial procurement of important equipment to meet srategic needs, which even risked our national security.
PM. Narendra Modi's approach of Make in India and higher FDI in defence production , is a great futuristic aim that can only ensure, that our defence forces are never short of necessary quality equipments to safeguard security of our nation.