Ashok Khade
A Mazagon Dock engineer turned founder of DAS Offshore, which has built more than 270 offshore projects for ONGC, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Ashok Khade started out as an engineer in a Mumbai shipyard and went on to build one of India’s home-grown offshore construction firms. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of trade and industry, from Maharashtra [1].
From Ped village
Khade was born on 1 June 1955 in Ped village, Tasgaon taluka, Sangli district [2]. He earned a diploma in mechanical engineering, and later also a degree in psychology, an MPhil, a PhD and a DSc [2].
The shipyard
In 1975 he joined Mazagon Dock in Mumbai, working on structural design and quality control for ships and submarines [2]. While there, he spent time in West Germany checking quality on India’s first conventional submarine programme [2].
DAS Offshore
In 1992 he left Mazagon Dock to start DAS Offshore Engineering, which became DAS Offshore Limited in 2021 [2]. It grew from a small fabrication contractor into an engineering and construction company [2]. It has completed more than 270 offshore projects for ONGC and over 70 large infrastructure projects, and runs a fabrication yard at Rohini in Maharashtra [2]. It has worked alongside firms such as Hyundai Heavy Industries, L&T and Afcons [2].
Khade chairs the board of governors of IIIT Bhagalpur and has supported education and skills programmes for young people from marginalised communities [2]. His rise from hardship to industry leader has been featured in The New York Times [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Ashok Khade — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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