Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, India's premier defence shipbuilder, has received the SKOCH Award for its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative Project Akansha, which supports children and adolescents from vulnerable communities in Kolkata. The award was conferred at the 108th SKOCH Summit held in New Delhi.

What Project Akansha Does

Project Akansha is implemented by Child Rights and You (CRY) with financial and institutional support from GRSE. The initiative operates in the Munshiganj and Watgunj-Hastings areas of Kolkata, targeting the holistic development of children and adolescents from at-risk households.

The project delivers supplementary education, life-skills training, self-defence sessions, nutritional support, and community engagement programmes. Its core objective is to create safe, enabling environments for children while expanding their access to education and personal growth opportunities.

Measurable Impact on Communities

According to GRSE, the initiative has demonstrably improved school enrolment and retention rates within its intervention areas. It has also strengthened life skills among participants and fostered greater community participation in child protection efforts.

'It has also helped create trusted learning spaces and encouraged active involvement of mothers and local stakeholders in safeguarding children's rights,' an official said.

GRSE's Broader Defence and Industrial Record

GRSE holds a formidable track record in Indian defence manufacturing. The shipyard delivered India's first indigenous warship — INS Ajay — to the Navy in 1961, just a year after becoming a defence public sector undertaking. Since then, it has delivered 117 warships to the Navy, Coast Guard, and friendly foreign nations — the highest tally by any Indian shipyard. Two warships built by GRSE have been exported to Mauritius and the Seychelles.

On 21 June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned three GRSE-built warships into the Navy: the advanced stealth frigate INS Dunagiri, survey vessel large INS Sanshodhak, and anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft INS Agray.

Current Order Book and Capabilities

At present, GRSE is building nine warships, including the advanced stealth frigate Vindhyagiri, four Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels, and four anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft. Beyond defence, the shipyard is constructing 30 commercial platforms, among them 12 specialised multi-purpose vessels for a German client.

GRSE is also building four research vessels for NPOL, NCPOR, and the Geological Survey of India, and commands the largest market share in India for modular steel bridges used by the Army and the Border Roads Organisation. The company additionally manufactures 30 mm naval surface guns (NSGs) fitted on warships as close-range weapons systems.

'While displaying excellence in shipbuilding and engineering, GRSE reaffirms its commitment to creating sustainable social impact through meaningful CSR initiatives that create opportunities for a brighter future by promoting education, empowerment and holistic community development,' an official added. The recognition positions GRSE as a benchmark for CSR integration within India's defence public sector.