New Delhi: In a move aimed at boosting the Ordnance Factories to make a contribution towards tackling the deadly COVID-19 which is playing havoc with peoples lives, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has given more procurement powers to its Senior General Managers as well as General Managers.
Dr Uddipan Mukherjee, Joint Director and PRO, OFB said, “The powers of store procurement of Senior General Managers and General Managers have been enhanced ab initio single tender. Also, special powers for the procurement of medical store have been delegated to both the senior GMs and GMs during this crisis period.”
“These powers will enable the factories to take the least amount of time to deliver the required items to the health personnel. These critical decisions were taken at a special board meeting on March 26,” Mukherjee added.
“It means that the financial powers of the General Managers have been increased. Almost 10 times more compared to previous years. These are extraordinary times and all agencies will be pitching in to fight the pandemic,” explained a senior officer who wished to remain anonymous.
Government over the years has taken several steps to improve the capability and production in the Ordnance Factories. While the delegation of financial power to OFB has been enhanced since September 2016, for streamlining the purchase process of OFB, Stores Procurement Manual-2018 has already been approved and it had come into effect since 2018.
Around 157 Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) applications have been filed by OFB for design/copyright/trademark capabilities, under government’s Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti initiative.
The official spokesperson of the OFB said that special tasks team has been set up at the OFB Headquarters to monitor the development to delivery of critical medical items including masks and sanitisers.
According to Mukherjee, “First consignment of Hand Sanitiser made by High Explosives Factory, Pune has successfully delivered to Ordnance Factory Ambernath, near Mumbai, for the latter’s newly planned quarantine facilities.”
Also, Hospital of Ordnance Factory Katni has taken initiative to manufacture masks locally due to acute shortage of mask, utilising available raw material at the Hospital.
