GRSE marks Navratna status with release of commemorative Special Cover

New Delhi: Defence public sector shipbuilder Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd on Friday commemorated its elevation to Navratna status with the release of a Special Cover with Cancellation and My Stamp.

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As per the official statement, the Special Cover was released by Ashok Kumar, Chief Postmaster General, West Bengal Circle, in the presence of senior officials of GRSE and India Post at a ceremony held in Kolkata. Reflecting the company's tradition of employee engagement, the event was attended by its senior-most employee, Bikash Das, Security Havilder (SK) (Gr.-III), and its youngest officer, Rup Pratim Ghatak, Assistant Manager, CDO.

GRSE was granted Navratna status by the Department of Public Enterprises under the Ministry of Finance in June 2026, recognising the shipyard's sustained financial and operational performance. The status is expected to provide the company with greater financial and operational autonomy to pursue expansion and strategic investments.

The shipbuilder has posted strong financial growth over the past five years. Revenue from operations increased nearly four-fold to Rs 7,002 crore in FY 2025-26 from Rs 1,754 crore in FY 2021-22, while profit after tax (PAT) rose to Rs 748 crore from Rs 190 crore during the same period.

GRSE has delivered more than 800 marine platforms, including 118 warships, to the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign nations over the last 66 years, the highest by any shipyard in the country. The company delivered India's first indigenous warship, INS Ajay, in 1961 and later built the country's first export warship, CGS Barracuda, for Mauritius.

In FY 2025-26, the shipyard delivered eight warships, including three vessels delivered on a single day. These included the Project 17A advanced guided-missile frigate INS Dunagiri, the Survey Vessel (Large) INS Sanshodhak and the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft INS Agray, all of which were commissioned into the Indian Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 21.

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The defence shipbuilder said that it is currently constructing nine warships and 30 additional platforms, including four Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels and 12 Multi-Purpose Vessels for a German client. The shipyard is also building four research vessels for the Naval Physical Oceanographic Laboratory, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research and the Geological Survey of India.

According to the company, the Navratna status will enable it to accelerate investments in brownfield and greenfield expansion projects, enhancing production capacity to undertake larger naval and commercial shipbuilding programmes while supporting the government's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', 'Make in India' and 'Make for the World' initiatives.

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