India’s push for greater private-sector participation in defence manufacturing has taken another step forward, with Maharashtra-based Sagar Defence Engineering Ltd securing an industrial licence to manufacture surface and underwater vessels for military use.
The licence permits the company, subject to regulatory approvals and the conditions attached to it, to undertake the design, manufacture and construction of specified naval defence platforms and associated systems. It also allows Sagar Defence Engineering to carry out integration, assembly and testing of these systems before they are supplied.
The approval follows closely on the heels of an earlier industrial licence granted to the company a few months ago to manufacture arms, explosives and ammunition. While that licence covered a specified category of arms, explosives and ammunition, the newer one opens up a separate category altogether, covering surface and underwater naval vessels.
Together, the two licences position Sagar Defence Engineering to expand its footprint across multiple segments of India’s naval defence ecosystem, adding a private player to a sector that has traditionally been dominated by public-sector shipyards such as Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and Hindustan Shipyard.
The development reflects the broader momentum behind India’s defence self-reliance push, as the government continues to widen opportunities for private firms, including newer entrants from the startup ecosystem, to take on roles once reserved almost exclusively for state-run defence public sector undertakings.
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