Army’s New Digital Disruptive Designed Combat Uniform Should Be Given To Ordnance Clothing Factories

Army has decided to introduce new Combat Uniforms with digital disruptive design from this year according to reports. The present Army Logo based disruptive uniform was developed by OCF Avadi jointly with Army and this is now more than 15 years old design. Army wanted to improve its design in digital manner with more Comforts for the soldier. Its learned that the OCF Avadi has also developed a digital design disruptive uniform, but somehow Army has selected the NIFT for developing the new digital disruptive design uniform and at present according to reports Army has approved the NIFT design and has decided to float tender for bulk procurement .Ministry of Defence has already declared Army Uniforms as Non Core and hence Ordnance Factories will not get the Orders on nomination basis.

Post Corporatisation Ordnance Factories have to now search for load by competing with private Sector. The Employees Federations are now started protesting against the Government decision to float open tender and not placing the order to Ordnance Factories. The first and immediate reaction is from the AIDEF. AIDEF has written to Rajnath Singh Defence Minister to honour the assurance given to them that Government will provide sufficient workload to the Ordnance Factories.

www.indianpsu.com accessed a copy of AIDEF Letter dated 02.02.2022 addressed to Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh. Its contents are reproduced here for the benefit of our viewers :-

To,
Shri. Rajnath Singh ji,.
Honourable Defence Minister
Government of India
South Block. New Delhi.

Subject : New Combat Uniform with digital disruptive design to the Indian Army.

Respected Sir,
Its learned from media reports that Army has approved the Digital Disruptive Design Uniform for Indian Army developed by NIFT and that the same will be issued to the soldiers from this year onwards. This Federation has been repeatedly representing that the digital camouflage design developed by the Ordnance Clothing Factory Avadi may also be considered by the Army.

However, the same has not been considered. At present it is understood from the media reports that the Army will be floating a tender for mass manufacturing of the NIFT designed Uniform. This decision of the Army will have very serious impact on the existence of OCF Avadi, OCF Shajahanpur and OEF Hazratpur. Already these Ordnance Factories are converted to PSUs and are struggling for workload.

Sir, time and again yourself and the Secretary (DP) were assuring us that MOD will continue to support the Ordnance Factories and that the Factories would be fully loaded. You will appreciate that a Government PSU will not be able to compete with the cut-throat competition of Private Sector since Private Sector get their work done through Contract and subcontract systems by utilizing unskilled workers and exploiting them and they may compromise with the quality of the Strategic Uniform.

In view of the above your honour is requested to kindly intervene in the matter and issue instructions to the Army to directly place indent of the newly designed digital Army Uniforms to the Ordnance Clothing Factories which has got the highly Skilled trained manpower, NABL accredited Labs, latest quality control system and modern machineries etc. The MGO himself has appreciated the quality of the Uniforms produced in the Ordnance Factories and has also stated that the Army is more comfortable with the Ordnance Factories than Private Sector. Hence, we expect a positive decision from your end Sir.

Thanking you,

Yours Sincerely,

(C. SRIKUMAR)
General Secretary
Leader / Staff Side
Departmental Council (JCM)
Ministry of Defence.