248-year-old trigger for change in India’s defence capabilities
ORDNANCE FACTORIES’ DAY
ORDNANCE FACTORIES’ DAY celebrated on March 18 each year in India commemorates the establishment of the first Ordnance Factory in India at Cossipore, near erstwhile Calcutta, in 1801. This day is celebrated to honour the Indian Ordnance Factories’contribution in bolstering India’s defence capabilities.
India’s Ordnance Factories have a long history dating back to the times when the country was under British rule. In 1775, the British established a Board of Ordnance in Fort William, Calcutta, marking the official beginning of Army Ordnance in India. In 1787, a gun powder factory was established at Ishapore, near the then British capital of Calcutta. It started production in 1791.
In 1801 a Gun Carriage Agency at Cossipore, Calcutta now known as the Gun and Shell Factory, Cossipore was established and production started on March 18, 1802. This was the very beginning of India’s first industrial Ordnance Factories, which are still operational to this day.
Ordnance Factories are an essential and integral part of India’s defence infrastructure and play a crucial role in ensuring the country’s national security. They provide the Indian armed forces with state-of-the-art equipment that helps them in their day-and-night vigil to defend the country’s borders effectively.
On this day, various programmes and events are organized by the IOFs to showcase their achievements, advancements in technology, and capabilities.The Ordnance Factories’ Day celebrations start with hoisting of the Tricolour and singing of the National Anthem. Then, each of the Ordnance Factories celebrates the day by displaying their products, such as rifles, guns, et al at different exhibitions.
MAIN EVENTS IN EVOLUTION OF OFS:
► 1801– Establishment of a Gun Carriage Agency at Cossipore, Calcutta
► 1802– Production starts on March 18, 1802, at Cossipore
► 1906– The Administration of Indian Ordnance Factories comes under a separate charge as ‘IG of Ordnance Factories’
► 1933– Changed to ‘Director of Ordnance Factories’
► 1948– Comes under Ministry of Defence’s direct control
Indian Ordnance Factories were the only organization in the world which made the entire range of ammunitions from 5.56 mm to 155 mm and weapons from the 5.56 mm INSAS rifle to 155 mm x 45 calibre ‘Dhanush’ artillery gun system.
There were 41 Ordnance Factories in India. However, with effect from October 1, 2021, these 41 production units were subsumed into seven Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs). The seven DPSUs are:
► Munitions India
► Armoured Vehicles Nigam
► Advanced Weapons and Equipment India
► Troop Comforts
► Yantra India
► India Optel, and
► Gliders India
These newly created entities are 100% owned by the government
QUALITY CONTROL OF PRODUCTS
Ordnance factories follow a system of multi-layer inspection, quality control and quality assurance before issuing final products to the three Services. The responsibility of inspection of input materials and stage/inter-stage inspection is shared between the factory personnel and Quality Assurance Establishments. An effective and efficient quality management system has been established in the factories leading to production of quality products meeting customers’ satisfaction.
Girish Linganna
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NADA serves whereabouts failure notice to retired wrestler Vinesh Phogat
New Delhi, Sep 25: The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on Wednesday served a notice to wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat for whereabouts failure and sought an explanation within 14 days.
Vinesh had announced her retirement after her disqualification from the Paris Olympics in August, saying she doesn't have the strength to continue. The 29-year-old, who was disqualified for being 100gm overweight ahead of her 50kg category gold medal bout, had announced her decision via social media.
All the athletes registered with NADA's Registered Testing Pool (RTP), of which Vinesh is a part, are required to provide details about their availability for dope tests.
If they fill the details and are found not available on that location at that given time, it is considered a whereabouts failure.
The NADA, in its notice, conveyed to the wrestler-turned-politician that she had apparently committed a whereabouts failure as she was not available for a dope test on September 9 at her house in Kharkhoda village in Sonepat.
Vinesh had announced her retirement from the sport after her Paris Olympics campaign ended in heartbreak, where she made the final but was disqualified ahead of her gold-medal bout for being overweight.
Vinesh and fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia joined the Congress party recently and she is contesting the upcoming Haryana Assembly election from Julana constituency.
She has been busy campaigning in the Julana constituency these days.
"You are hereby given a formal notice to notify you about apparent failure to comply with the whereabouts requirements of the ADR, and to invite you to make any comments before we come to a final decision on the matter," the NADA notice read.
"A Dope Control Officer (DCO) was sent to test you on that dav at that time and place. However, he was unable to locate you for testing as you were not available at the given location."
Vinesh needs to either accept the failure or provide evidence that she was present in that location for about 60 minutes.
It may be mentioned that one whereabouts failure does not constitute an anti-doping rule violation. There must be three whereabouts failures (whether filing failures or missed tests) within a 12-month period for NADA to charge an athlete.
