Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Lays Foundation For 5 Defence Projects Worth ₹3,500 Crore

Kolkata: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday had laid foundation stone for five brownfield expansion projects worth Rs. 3,500 of the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and Yantra India Ltd from Kolkata.

Addressing the gathering, Singh said that rapid developments were taking place in shipbuilding technology.

“India has the capability of seizing this opportunity to become a global shipbuilding hub and with this dependence of foreign countries will be less. The new government of Bengal will bring in a new renaissance of development in the state. Large warships and advanced commercial vessels take 15-20 years to be developed. With the advancement of technology by the time a ship is designed and developed, some technology gets outdated. The change in this state came for development as news of lockouts in factories were common in Bengal and now it is being replaced with launching of new projects,” said the Union Defence Minister.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari also slammed the previous governments for not cooperating with the central government.

“The negative aura of the 50 years has ended and our double-engine government will now ensure that Bengal gets completely developed. The previous government didn’t want to work together with the central government. As a Chief Minister I am very happy that Bengal is progressing,” said Adhikari.

Notably, GRSE had signed lease agreements with 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.