Rourkela: Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), one of India’s largest steel producers, has once again contributed significantly to India’s defence capabilities by providing the entire quantity of special steel plates of about 4,000 tonne for the construction of the seventh frigate under the indigenous P17A Project of the Indian Navy. The warship named ‘INS Mahendragiri’ was launched Friday in Mumbai by VicePresident Jagdeep Dhankhar’s wife, Sudesh. Incidentally ‘Mahendragiri’ is part of a mountain range in Rayagada district of Odisha. By doing so, SAIL has once more proved its commitment in helping the country build its own defence products.
However, this is not the first instance when SAIL has contributed significantly to the development of defence products. Earlier also SAIL had provided steel for the construction of the sixth frigate ‘INS Vindhyagiri’. The warship was launched by President Droupadi Murmu a couple of weeks back in Kolkata. The P17A Project comprises the construction of a total of four warships by M/s Mazagon Dock Ltd and three by M/s GRSE. SAIL’s contribution in terms of steel supply for these vessels amounts to about 28,000 tonne. SAIL also supplies special quality steel for various other defence products. SAIL has not only supplied steel for the P17A Project but has also played an integral role in providing steel for various defence projects, including aircraft carrier ‘INS Vikrant’, warships such as INS Udaygiri and INS Surat and the heavy artillery gun ‘Dhanush’ among others