In 220 Years, First Time No Birthday Celebrations Of Ordnance Factories?

The Ordnance Factory Day is celebrated on 18th of March every year all over the country Ordnance Factories. This is to commemorate the beginning of the production of Ordnance at the Gun & Shell Factory, Cossipore, on the 18 th of March 1802. The OF Day is generally Celebrated with the involvement of the employees in a grand manner. However after the Corporatization of Ordnance Factories the Authorities are not keen in celebrating the OF Day on 18/03/2022 as in the past and hence non of the factory is celebrating the Ordnance Factory Day.

The recently formed United Forum of Ordnance Employees consisting of AIDEF, BPMS, CDRA and IOFSOA have decided that if the OF Day is not officially celebrated this year then they will celebrate the same in all the Ordnance Factories and the DOO (C&S) by involving all the employees and officers. The United Forum of Ordnance Employees have submitted a Joint letter today in this regard to the Defence Minister. www.indianpsu.com accessed a copy of the Joint letter of the UFOE addressed to Rajnath Singh the Defence Minister. The contents of the letter is published here for the benefit of our viewers.

02/UFOE/D/RM

March 11, 2022
To
Shri.Rajnath Singh Ji,
Hon’ble Defence Minister
Government of India,
New Delhi – 110 001.

Sub: Celebrations of Ordnance Factory Day on 18/03/2022

Respected Sir,

Your honour is aware that 18 th March is celebrated as Ordnance Factory Day in all the 41 Ordnance Factories and the other offices of OFB. The OF Day is celebrated with much fanfare with the involvement of all the employees on 18 th March every year till now in remembrance of not only the establishment of first Ordnance Factory in India, but also in remembrance of valor and sacrifices made by the employees of Ordnance Factories by
standing shoulder to shoulder with the Armed Forces in protecting our Mother land. However, it is regretted to note that, since the Ordnance Factory Board has been dismantled and cobbled as 7 Corporations, the OF Day is not going to be celebrated this year in the Ordnance Factories and DDO(C&S) Headquarters and other connected offices. OF Day reflects self-respect of serving and retired Ordnance Factory Men and Women. Any denial of that self-respect would mean denial and insult to the glorious past of Ordnance Factories. It would also be an attempt to consciously erase the pride of Ordnance Factory employees from collective consciousness of our nation.

Therefore Respectable Sir, any such insensitive step would definitely be seen as a pernicious attempt to damage the morale of employees of Ordnance Factory. It is therefore, humbly requested that Hon’ble Defence Minister may kindly issue directions to all concerned that the tradition of O F Day Celebration must continue to inspire the employees who are bound by the same history, legacy and tradition of Ordnance Factory of more than two centuries despite being placed in 7 DPSUs.

It is therefore requested that the Hon’ble Defence Minister may kindly give suitable instructions to all concerned to desist from such a move, which would vitiate the already volatile industrial relations in the Ordnance Factories.

We, the employees of Ordnance Factories would humbly like to submit that if OF Day is not officialy celebrated, we would take it upon ourselves to celebrate as our Collective Festival outside the formal official fold on 18/03/2022 in the true spirit of the saying of the Father of the Nation – “They cannot take away our self-respect if we give it to them”

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

Copy to:-
The Secretary (DP)