Kolkata: The glorious achievement of being elevated to Navratna status by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd was celebrated through the release of a Special Cover with Cancellation and My Stamp on Friday, July 17, 2026.
The Special Cover was released by Ashok Kumar, Chief Postmaster General, West Bengal Circle, in the august presence of senior officials of GRSE and India Post.
Following GRSE’s tradition of engagement at all levels of employees, Bikash Das, Security Havildar (SK) (GR.-III), the senior most employee of GRSE and Rup Pratim Ghatak, Asst. Manager, CDO, the youngest officer of the shipyard graced the occasion.
GRSE was accorded Navratna status by the Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, in June 2026 in recognition of the shipyard’s consistent financial and physical performance over the years.
The conferment of Navratna status marks a defining milestone in GRSE’s illustrious journey, reaffirming its operational excellence, financial strength, and strategic importance to the nation’s defence ecosystem.
GRSE’s financial performance over the last five years reflects its remarkable growth trajectory and operational excellence. The Company’s Revenue from Operations has grown from ₹1,754 crore in FY 2021-22 to ₹7,002 crore in FY 2025-26. During the same period, Profit After Tax (PAT) has risen from ₹190 crore to ₹748 crore.
The shipyard has been a firm proponent of the Government ‘s Aatmanirbharta and “Make in India” visions and delivered over 800 marine platforms including 118 warships to the Navy, Coast Guard and Friendly Foreign Nations over the last 66 years. This is the highest number of warships delivered by any shipyard in the country.
GRSE delivered the country’s first indigenous warship, INS Ajay, to the Navy in 1961, barely a year after being declared a Defence Public Sector Undertaking. The shipyard also built the country’s first ever export warship, CGS Barracuda for the Government of Mauritius.
GRSE delivered eight warships in 2025-26. Three of these were delivered on the same day. These three warships, the P17A Advanced Guided-missile Frigate INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak, a Survey Vessel (Large) and Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft INS Agray were commissioned into the Navy by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on June 21, 2026.
Currently nine warships, including four Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels, the shipyard is now building 30 other platforms. These include 12 Multi-Purpose Vessels for a German client, in keeping with India’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make for the World’ vision.
The shipyard has also made a mark in the field of research vessels and is now building four of them for the Naval Physical Oceanographic Laboratory, National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research and Geological Survey of India.
This prestigious Navratna status will allow GRSE to make investments towards enhancing the shipyard’s ability and expand operations. It has already embarked on a mission to increase capacity through both brownfield and greenfield projects to take on more Naval and Commercial Shipbuilding Projects.
