Ordnance Factories Board - Criticism

Criticism

Despite of highly skilled manpower, latest technologies and huge investments, the Ordnance Factories and their management have often been criticised for their inefficiency, delay in supplies, obsolete and substandard products of much higher costs than those manufactured by their foreign competitors, corruption at all levels including top management and a small volume of exports. The ministerial and bureaucratic hassles, lack of decision making and accountability of the people concerned are often blamed. To counter the above, talks were held in the past to privatise the Ordnance Factories after witnessing the turnaround of other Indian companies which were converted into PSUs, but the Ministry of Defence has always ruled out such a possibility since the Ordnance Factories are the backbone of the Indian Armed Forces and should be controlled solely by the Government of India. Efforts are now being made by the Ordnance Factories to run the factories at their full capacities, employ and train skilled manpower, efficient usage of the available resources, update and induct new products, provide more sophisticated products, increase and diversify product categories, supply them to the forces on time, stringent quality assurance, JV with foreign and other domestic manufacturers and to increase their overseas presence and exports.