Ordnance Factory Day is annually observed by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) on 18th March to mark the foundation of the first Ordnance Factory at Cossipore near Kolkata in 1801. The day is celebrated by the Indian Ordnance Factories, under the Ministry of Defence.
The 18th March 2021 marks the 220th Ordnance Factory Day.
History of Indian Ordnance Factories:
i.To increase the economic interest and political hold in India, the East Indian Company of England considered the manufacturing of military hardware.
ii.In 1775, the British Authorities established the Board of Ordnance in Fort William, Kolkata.
iii.On 18th March 1802, the Gun Carriage Agency established by the British at Cossipore, Kolkata started the production, which marked the first industrial establishment of Ordnance Factories in India.
iv.Before the independence of Indian in 1947, there were only 18 ordnance factories in India.
Key Points:
i.Presently, the network of Indian Ordnance Factories comprises 41 factories, 9 Training Institutes, 3 Regional Marketing Centres and 4 Regional Controllers of Safety.
ii.The 41 factories are divided into five operational divisions of the OFB.
iii.The OFB constitutes a Defence production conglomerate with a range of products in the area of land, sea and air systems.
iv.OFB is considered as the 4th arm of Defence, along with Army, Air Force and Navy.
Awards:
- Two employees of the factory Mr Anjaneyulu and Mr Pulla Reddy have been conferred “Ayudh Sri” Awards by the Ordnance Factory Board for their excellent contribution towards production and productivity.
- V. Gunasekaran, Joint General Manager, was awarded ‘Ayudh Bhushan’ award and K. Karthikesh, Security Officer, was awarded the ‘Best Security Officer’ award at a celebratory event.
About Ordnance Factory Board(OFB):
Chairman– C S Vishwakarma (Director General, Ordnance Factories)
Headquarters– Kolkata, West Bengal
The OFB came into existence on 2nd April 1979
