Union Cabinet Approves Three Cadet Training Ships For Rs 3,100 Crore

The Union Cabinet on 1st of March 2023 under the chairmanship of Prime Miniter Narendra Modi has accorded approval to sign a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for the acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships, at an overall cost of Rs 3,108.09 crore, under Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)} category.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to inform. He tweeted, “The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) under the chairmanship of PM Shri @narendramodi has accorded approval to sign a contract for the acquisition of 3 Cadet Training Ships (CTS) at an overall cost of Rs. 3108.09 Crs under the Buy-Indian (IDDM) Category”, through his official Twitter handle.

“These ships will cater for the training of officer cadets, including lady cadets, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirement of the Indian Navy. I’m grateful to Pradhanmantriji for this decision”, he added in another tweet.

Statement by Defence Ministry

According to the statement by the defence ministry, “With the majority of the equipment and systems sourced from indigenous manufacturers, these vessels will be a proud flag bearer of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in consonance with the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government”.

The statement read, “These ships will cater to the training of officer cadets, including women, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirements of the Indian Navy”.

“The ships would also provide training to cadets from friendly countries with the aim to strengthen diplomatic relations. The ships can also be deployed for evacuation of people and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)”, the statement added.

The statement stated that the project will generate employment of 22.5 lakh man-days over a period of four-and-half years. This will encourage the active participation of Indian shipbuilding and associated industries, including MSMEs.

The ships will be indigenously designed, developed, and constructed at the L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai.

The delivery of ships is scheduled to commence in 2026.

Also read: CCS Approves Procurement Of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft For Rs 6,828 Cr