Adani-Ambanis to capture the ordnance factories

Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts Exclusive

The arms and ammunitions-bombs to the tanks were being manufactured in 49 Ordnance factories spread across the country for the last 220 years and nine PSUs were engaged in defence production with an annual turnover of Rs 52,000 crore. Now they have been privatised dismantling the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB).

This subject is sensitive and related to national security, earlier it was guarded and it was not open to the public. However, the corporatisation of the ordnance factories has already been done by the BJP Govt led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, this decision is viewed as a serious threat to national security.

The Union Government is on a privatisation spree and if all the ordnance factories are privatised, then the ownership of these factories will go to private players like Adani and Mukesh Ambani. Besides, the country’s economy will also be in their hands.

The decision to privatise the ordnance factories was taken by the Government without consulting anyone. Not even departmental heads were consulted. This can pose a serious threat to national security. That is the reason there was large-scale opposition and resentment against the privatisation of the Ordnance factories throughout the country.

Basically, previous Defence Ministers- George Fernandes, AK Antony, Jaswant Singh, Arun Jaitley and Manohar Parrikar had opposed the move. Despite this, the decision to privatise ordnance factories was virtually foisted by the Modi Govt.

Earlier the Ordnance factories were controlled by the Ordnance factories Board (OFB). However, now all these factories have been handed over to 07 private companies and they have already begun production.

Due to this decision, over 80,000 agitated workers of the Ordnance factories across the country took to the streets. However, the Govt threatened to book them under the Essential Defence Service Act. The All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF) has challenged this decision in Delhi High Court. The federation has also filed a petition in the Madras High Court against the privatisation of the Ordnance factories.

“The Govt has worked out a conspiracy to privatise Ordnance factories and has given permission for corporatisation. This is a suicidal decision. As such this decision should be revoked”

C. Srikumar

General Secretary, ALDEF.