Section 36
Ashok Khade
DAS Offshore Engineering · Ped, Sangli district, Maharashtra
- ₹1.82 crore
- First contract, from Mazagon Dock · 1995
- ₹130-140 crore
- Turnover · 2010-11
- About 4,500
- Employees · 2011
The story
Ashok Khade grew up in Ped village in Sangli district, Maharashtra. His father worked as a cobbler in Mumbai, and his mother worked in the fields. Hunger was an everyday reality for him and his five siblings. He was a bright student despite having no electricity at home.
After high school he came to Mumbai to live with his uncle. He wanted to study medicine, but money was short, so he took a job at Mazagon Dock. He worked there from 1975 to 1992 and completed a part-time diploma in mechanical engineering while working.
In 1995 he and his brothers Datta and Suresh started DAS Offshore, named after their initials, without outside capital. Their first project, worth ₹1.82 crore, came from Mazagon Dock itself, and they bought supplies on credit from people they had worked with. The company builds offshore platforms for clients such as ONGC. In 2026 he received the Padma Shri for trade and industry.
Timeline
- 1975Joins Mazagon Dock in Mumbai.
- 1984Sent to West Germany for submarine quality-control work.
- 1995Starts DAS Offshore with his brothers; first contract of ₹1.82 crore from Mazagon Dock.
- 2011Turnover of ₹130-140 crore in 2010-11 and about 4,500 employees.
- 2026Receives the Padma Shri for trade and industry.