India at cusp of transformative era in maritime capability: Defence secretary

Kolkata | Stating that India is at the cusp of a transformative era in maritime capability, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Friday said the vision is to embark on a major shipbuilding mission for both the defence and civil sectors.

Speaking at the launch of the third chapter of GRSE Accelerated Innovation Nurturing Scheme (GAINS) programme here, he said startup challenges and similar programmes are designed to accelerate technology development both in defence and aerospace.

"India is at the cusp of a transformative era in maritime capability," he said, adding that the "vision is to embark on a major shipbuilding mission, not only for defence, but for the civil sector as well." "The idea is to design, engineer and produce world-class vessels that embody efficiency and sustainability," Singh said at the programme organised by the Kolkata-based Defence PSU GRSE.

The defence secretary said the advent of artificial intelligence and the proliferation of unmanned and optionally manned vessels have further reinforced this transformation.

He said suitable assistance has to be channelised for the development of prototypes, followed by a spiral development model "with strong and assured procurement support by the government." Singh expressed hope for much more engagement in the defence sector with the startup community in the country, "by broadening and widening both the existing schemes and also ensuring that our procurement window gives much more opening for the startup community."

Maintaining that GRSE has been at the forefront of innovation in the shipbuilding sector, developing cutting-edge technologies, he said, "schemes such as GAINS demonstrate the commitment of the shipyard towards giving primacy to innovation." The defence secretary said GRSE is on the way towards, through a competitive process, possible building the next generation corvettes in India, setting a new trend in Indian Defence shipbuilding.

Singh lauded the Defence PSU shipyard for having delivered the first indigenous warship 'INS Vijay' in 1961 and continuing to be at the forefront of warship building in the country.