A slew of new guidelines for the selection of shipyards for major warship and submarine construction projects were given the green light by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday (Wednesday, 20 March), reports TOI.

The guidelines were approved at a meeting chaired by Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman, and will apply to tenders to be issued in the coming year for contracts to the tune of Rs 25,000 crore.

Steps have also been taken by the ministry in order to involve medium and small shipyards in defence manufacturing, such as only allowing them to be eligible to apply for small value projects.

Streamlining the procedural framework for manufacturing naval vessels is quite important in light of the government’s plans to boost the expansion of the Indian Navy with 56 new warships and submarines.

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