Every year on March 18, Ordnance Factories Day is observed. The production of India’s oldest Ordnance Factory, which is located in Cossipore, Kolkata, began on March 18, 1802. OFB is the world’s 37th largest defence equipment manufacturer, the second largest in Asia, and the largest in India. The day is observed by displaying rifles, guns, artillery, and ammunition in exhibitions across India.
The festivities begin with a parade, and the exhibition will include photographs from various mountaineering expeditions. OFB is also known as the “Fourth Arm of Defence” and the “Force Behind the Armed Forces” of India. OFB is managed by the Ministry of Defence’s Department of Defence Production. The Indian Ordnance Factories provides products to all three Indian Armed Forces, namely the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.
Arms and ammunition, weapon spares, chemicals and explosives, parachutes, leather, and clothing are exported to over 30 countries worldwide. The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), which included the Indian Ordnance Factories and is now known as the Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination and Services), was a government of India organization that was part of the Ministry of Defence’s Department of Defence Production (DDP) (MoD). The OFB is in charge of 41 factories that employ over 70,000 people.
Its annual revenue is Rs 19,000 crore. All of this can be divided into seven government-owned Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs). The government’s intention to disband the OFB had been mentioned shortly after the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The plan was approved by the Union Cabinet on June 16, 2021. On October 1, the government announced the abolition of the Ordnance Factory Board. According to reports, all existing factories and personnel were absorbed into these seven PSUs.
On October 1, 2021, the OFB was decommissioned, and all management, control, operations, and maintenance responsibilities were transferred to seven newly formed defence PSUs. The Ordnance Factories Day was created to honour the Ordnance Factories of India and the service of the Ordnance Factory Board to the country, which is now defunct.
Significance
The Ordnance Factories Day starts with the elevating of the countrywide flag and the making of a song of the National Anthem in honour of the OFBs’ valiant service. Several occasions are deliberate for the day, with a view to be provided through plant personnel. Following the hoisting of the flag, a presentation of firearms, ammunition, rifles, artillery, and other military equipment in displays across India takes place. The event is free and open to the public.
A procession takes region along the show of weaponry and ammunition. Every government in today’s world requires a steady supply of weaponry and ammunition for its armed forces. The OFB was in charge of producing a wide range of military equipment, such as small guns, explosives and propellants, ammunition, and so on. Every government in today’s world requires a consistent supply of weaponry and ammunition for its armed forces.
The Ordnance Factories organisation of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) now consists of 41 factories organised into five operational divisions. They are also a defence manufacturer with a diverse and extensive product portfolio in land, sea, and air systems. OFB, also known as the 4th Arm of Defence, is one of the four arms of defence in the country, along with the Army, Air Force, and Navy.
The day begins with the raising of the national flag and the singing of the National Anthem in recognition of the OFBs’ heroic contribution. Later, each Ordnance Factory commemorates the occasion by displaying rifles, guns, artillery, ammunition, and other items in displays throughout India.
History
India has a long history of munitions factories dating back to the British colonial era. Making military weapons was an important part of the East India Company of Britain’s strategy to increase their commercial value and political clout. In 1775, British authority established a Board of Ordnance in Fort William, Kolkata, marking the official start of Army Ordnance in India.
In addition, in 1787, they established a gunpowder plant in Ishapore, which began production in 1791. In the year 1801, the British established a Gun Carriage Agency in Cossipore, Kolkata, and production began on March 18th, 1802. This marked the start of India’s first industrial Ordnance Factories, many of which are still in operation today.
The Indian Ordnance Factories predate all other organisations, such as the Indian Army and the Indian Railways, by more than a century. The first Indian ordnance factory dates back to 1712 when the Dutch Ostend Company established a Gun Powder Factory in Ichhapur. Another gunpowder factory was established in Ichapore in 1787; production began in 1791, and the site was later used as a rifle factory beginning in 1904.
Gun Carriage Agency (now known as Gun & Shell Factory, Cossipore) was founded in 1801 in Cossipore, Calcutta, and production began on March 18, 1802. This is India’s oldest operating ordnance factory.
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