India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that the country's integrated shipbuilding ecosystem sets it apart from other maritime powers in the world.
"What truly sets India apart is its integrated end-to-end shipbuilding ecosystem. From concept design and modular construction to outfitting, refit, repairs, and full life cycle support, every stage of the shipbuilding process is indigenously developed and executed. Our public and private shipyards, backed by thousands of MSMEs, have created a robust value chain that spans steel, propulsion, electronics, sensors, and advanced combat systems," Singh said during a seminar organised by the Department of Defence Production in New Delhi.
Underlining that Indian shipyards are now vital pillars of the nation's emerging Blue Economy, he stressed that the nation has attained the capability to produce anything from an aircraft carrier to a commercial ship.
"We are capable of delivering aircraft carriers to advanced research vessels and energy-efficient commercial ships. This integrated capability positions India strongly to become a global hub for shipbuilding, ship repair, and maritime innovation in the coming decade," the minister added.
India became the seventh country after the US, the UK, Russia, France, China, and Italy to design and produce its own aircraft carrier.
The development came after INS Vikrant, its maiden aircraft carrier, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in September 2022.
India is now planning a second indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vishal, a next-generation aircraft carrier, which would essentially be a nuclear-powered supercarrier with a displacement of approximately 65,000 tonnes, as per the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) document called the "Technology Vision and Capability Roadmap" released earlier this year.