<h1>Government to finalise two submarine deals worth over Rs 1 lakh crore, three follow-on and six new boats</h1> A government plans to finalise two major submarine procurement contracts worth over Rs 1 lakh crore by mid-next year to strengthen undersea capabilities: a follow-on order for three conventional attack submarines (~Rs 36,000 crore) with joint domestic-foreign construction, and a new programme to acquire six diesel-electric stealth submarines (~Rs 65,000 crore). The first deal's commercial terms are nearly settled after multi-year delays; cost negotiations for the larger programme are due to begin and may take six to nine months. Contract signings would be followed by vessel deliveries starting about six years later, and the domestic shipyard would need infrastructure augmentation to execute both projects simultaneously.