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Navy commissions INS Samarthak, first major warship from a private shipyard

By CAShorts DeskPublished Sources: PIB (Ministry of Defence); DD News; Larsen & Toubro; The Tribune; The Hans India; Naval News

Navy commissions INS Samarthak, first major warship from a private shipyard
Illustration (AI-generated)

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Samarthak, the first of its Multi-Purpose Vessels (MPVs), at Naval Base Karwar in Karnataka on 16 October 2026. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) built it at Kattupalli near Chennai; the Ministry of Defence calls it the first major warship built by an Indian private shipyard. It is the first of two ordered.

Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; GS3 · Liberalisation & Industry; GS3 · Indian Achievements in S&T

Why this matters for UPSC

GS3 Mains asks about indigenisation of technology and private industry in defence production. Prelims can ask about the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020's Buy (Indian) category, Karwar's location and MAHASAGAR.

Why it matters

A Navy that tests every new radar, gun or underwater drone on a frontline warship has to take that warship off patrol to do it. A ship built only for trials and support lets the fighting fleet stay on duty while Indian-made equipment is tried at sea, so a new weapon can reach service sooner. The order also gives private firms and the small suppliers behind them steady naval work, which means more jobs and fewer imported parts. The larger question is whether India can build warships quickly and cheaply enough, when a late delivery here and there adds years to a fleet plan.

Prelims pointers

  • Buy (Indian-IDDM) under DAP 2020: indigenously designed, developed and manufactured equipment, with at least 50% indigenous content (40% under DPP 2016).
  • Buy (Indian) under DAP 2020: minimum 50% indigenous content when the design is Indian, 60% otherwise; Buy (Global) needs at least 30% when the vendor is Indian.
  • DAP 2020 reserves Buy (Indian-IDDM), Make I, Make II and the Strategic Partnership model for Indian vendors with foreign direct investment of no more than 49%.
  • India's first Defence Procurement Procedure was issued in 2002; DAP 2020 succeeded DPP 2016 and added the Buy (Global-Manufacture in India) category.
  • SAGAR, 'Security and Growth for All in the Region', was set out in Mauritius in 2015; MAHASAGAR was announced there on 12 March 2025.
  • Karwar lies on Karnataka's Arabian Sea coast; Kattupalli lies on the Bay of Bengal coast north of Chennai in Tamil Nadu.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to INS Samarthak, consider the following statements:

1. It was built by Larsen & Toubro at its Kattupalli shipyard in Tamil Nadu.

2. Its contract was signed under the Buy (Global) category of defence procurement.

3. The Ministry of Defence puts its indigenous content at over 75%.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 and 2 only
  2. (b) 2 and 3 only
  3. (c) 1 and 3 only
  4. (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only. L&T built it at Kattupalli with over 75% Indian content; the category is wrong.

Statement 1: correct. L&T Shipyard designed and built the ship at Kattupalli near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Statement 2: incorrect. The Ministry of Defence signed the Rs 887 crore contract for two MPVs on 25 March 2022 under the Buy (Indian) category.

Statement 3: correct. The Ministry of Defence states the ship has over 75% indigenous content.

Eliminate: Statement 2 is wrong, since a vessel built in India by an Indian firm was bought as Buy (Indian). Out: (a), (b), (d).

Trap: Swapped attribution. The real contract is pinned on the wrong procurement category, Buy (Global), the category under which equipment can be bought from foreign vendors.

Remember: Samarthak = L&T, Kattupalli, Buy (Indian), over 75% indigenous.

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