Only Ordnance Factories Can Meet Fluctuating Need Of Armed Forces: C. Srikumar, General Secretary, AIDEF – Indian PSU

OPINION PIECE

The Government of India, with much fan-fare, established with lot of Defence Corridors in Tamil Nādu and Uttar Pradesh. The Government expected that in these Defence Corridors lot of Small and Medium Scale Industries will be established by Private Sector which can take over the role and functioning of the Ordnance Factories.

However the fact remains that these Defence Corridors have not attracted any major investments. Is the Defence Corridor another ritual announcement of the Government, why private Sector is not interested in investing in Defence Corridors, how are the big corporate giants like Adani, L&T, Mahindra, TATAs, penetrating in Defence Production posing major challenges to Ordnance Factories and DPSUs.

The requirements of the Armed Forces are always fluctuating depending upon the geopolitical situation and the thinking and policies of the Political Parties in power. Even the Armed forces most of the time are not clear what’s their short term and long term requirements. Many new projects in DRDO and Ordnance Factories which were started based on the request of the Armed Forces, were subsequently scrapped halfway, since the top echelons in the Armed forces subsequently thought that these products if developed will not suit their requirements.

All the work and investment done go waste and finally the DRDO and the Ordnance Factories have to face the brick beats. There are many examples where Ordnance Factories were told to manufacture Equipment, Armaments, etc. which were stopped manufacturing 50 years before. Since Ordnance Factories patriotically preserved the Technology, Machineries, Jig & Fixtures, Tools, Skill transferred from the previous generation workers Ordnance Factories were able to jump into the production of these outdated stores with in no time. Which Private Industry will do this? For them even scrap is money.

For big giant Corporates, Defence is another area of their business, it’s not their only business. To show the world that they are also capable of Defence Manufacturing to benefit their other businesses they invest money. Banks are instructed to give them loan liberally, precious land parcels are given to them at throw away prices and subsequently if loans are not paid back, no action on these so-called giants and one fine morning, these become Non Performing Assets (NPAs).

Only the Ordnance Factories, if they remain in Government, can remain as a reliable source of supplier to the Army. In the name of Cost, many Troop Comfort items are being given to Private Traders who doesn’t have even a Small Industry and these Vendors supply the substandard poor quality items to the Army and the sufferer and victim is the poor soldier who directly uses these items. A few are benefitted through Commissions and other benefits.

Time has Come for the Government to reconsider all these policy decisions and the first and foremost is to strengthen and develop the Ordnance Factories and to bring it back to Government as OFB in the interest of the Defence and National Security of our Country, concluded C. Srikumar.

Views expressed here are those of veteran Union Leader and General Secretary of All India Defence Employees Federation, C. Srikumar.