The Union Cabinet on Wednesday accorded approval to sign a contract with Larsen and Toubro (L&T) for the acquisition of three cadet training ships at an overall cost of Rs 3,108.09 crore, under Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category. The delivery of ships is scheduled to commence from 2026.
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, according to the statement from the ministry of defence. 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 ships will be indigenously designed, developed and constructed at L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai. The project will generate an employment of 22.5 lakh man-days over a period of four-and-half years. This will encourage active participation of Indian shipbuilding and associated industries, including micro, small and medium enterprise (MSMEs). 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.
Buy (Indian-IDDM) category refers to the procurement of products from an Indian vendor that have been indigenously designed, developed and manufactured with a minimum of 50 per cent Indigenous Content (IC) on cost basis of the total contract value, according to the ministry's website.
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