Andhra Pradesh to play larger role in India’s maritime future: Rajnath
Visakhapatnam, Oct 6 (TNT): Andhra Pradesh has the potential to play a larger role in India’s maritime future, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday, calling for the development of Visakhapatnam as a major Maritime Industrial Hub.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the upgraded Slipway-4 and 300-tonne Goliath Crane at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) here, Singh said India’s objective should move beyond self-reliance towards global competitiveness in shipbuilding.
“Self-reliance is an important milestone, but global competitiveness is the next big leap,” he said, stressing that Indian shipyards should compete with leading global shipyards on quality, cost, technology, delivery and reliability.
Singh called for closer integration of HSL with Andhra Pradesh’s industrial ecosystem, saying MSMEs could become suppliers, universities could contribute to research and skill development, technology companies could support digital shipbuilding and startups could develop maritime technologies.
He said the objective should be to create a complete shipbuilding ecosystem around HSL, supported by logistics, port infrastructure, research, technology and skilled manpower.
Highlighting Visakhapatnam’s strategic importance, Singh said the presence of the Eastern Naval Command, Naval Dockyard, HSL and Visakhapatnam Port provided the city with the foundation for an integrated maritime ecosystem.
He called for developing Visakhapatnam as a major Maritime Industrial Hub by bringing together naval expertise, shipbuilding capabilities, engineering talent, port infrastructure and skilled manpower.
The Defence Minister also stressed the need for an integrated national maritime ecosystem involving the Navy, HSL, DRDO, academia, industry, MSMEs and startups.
“India’s maritime strength cannot be built by the Navy or shipyards alone,” he said, calling for greater integration among stakeholders.
“Our goal should be simple and clear — design better, build faster, deliver on time, operate efficiently and do maintenance effectively,” Singh said.
He said India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem had undergone significant transformation over the past decade, with increasing focus on domestic design and manufacture of sophisticated systems and platforms.
Singh identified timely delivery, productivity, indigenous design capability, supply chain resilience, skilled manpower, capacity and cost competitiveness as key factors in converting India’s shipbuilding potential into global competitiveness.
Outlining priorities for HSL, he called for timely delivery to become an organisational culture, greater learning from leading global shipyards, stronger indigenous design capabilities, partnerships with MSMEs and startups and development of lifecycle capabilities.
He also stressed the need for closer coordination between the Navy and shipyards.
Singh said Indian shipyards should aspire to serve friendly nations and international markets and develop a global presence in maritime technology, ship repair, maintenance services and engineering expertise.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Andhra Pradesh Minister for Roads, Buildings, Infrastructure and Development Janardhan Reddy, Visakhapatnam MP Sribharat Mathukumilli, Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar, Eastern Naval Command Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla and HSL Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral C Raghuram (Retd), among others, attended the programme.
