Correct Answer : Option (C) - 6 Submarines

* German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to India on February 25–26, 2023 will focus on advancing a $5.2 billion agreement between Germany and India to jointly construct six(6) conventional submarines in India.

* The naval project is a Western military manufacturing power’s most recent effort to wean New Delhi off of its reliance on Russian military hardware.

* India seeks to replace its ageing submarine fleet, with 11 of its 16 conventional submarines more than two decades old, and as it seeks to counter China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean.

* The Indian Navy also has two indigenous nuclear-powered submarines.

* The central government wants the country to manufacture more weapons at home in collaboration with foreign partners after decades of being one of the world’s largest arms importers.

* The submarine project, for which Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is one of two international bidders, will be discussed between the two countries during Scholz’s trip and Berlin would support the deal.

* Under the deal, a foreign submarine manufacturer will have to partner with an Indian company to build the submarines in the country.

* The foreign company will also need to transfer a niche technology for fuel-cell based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), a clause that has been a sore point for most foreign firms.

* France’s Naval Group had pulled out of the project just ahead of Modi’s visit to Paris in May 2022, citing its inability to meet conditions listed by the Indian government in 2021..

Source : Business Standard