New Delhi Feb 25 PTI Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari on Friday asked commanders to ensure operational readiness of all platforms weapon systems and assetsHe stressed on the need for root cause analysis of all accidents and incidents improving maintenance practices to boost mission effectiveness besides maintaining impregnable physical and cyber security at all times the Defence Ministrys statement saidThe IAF Chief was addressing the Western Air Commands Commanders Conclave which ended on ThursdayHe praised Western Air Command for the quantum of flying carried out and urged all commanders to continue their efforts towards providing a safe operational flying environment the statement notedThe three-day-long Commanders Conclave took place in DelhiThe IAF Chief emphasised the necessity to enhance operational preparedness and directed the commanders to ensure operational readiness of all platforms weapon systems and assets PTI DSP TDS TDS TDS

New Delhi Feb 26 PTI Batting for indigenisation in the defence sector Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the main principle of security is a customised system and that the surprise element is possible only when equipment is developed in the country The prime minister also spoke about the challenges in the cyber domain and said cyber security is no longer limited to just the digital world as it has now become a matter of national securityThe main principle of security he said is that a country should have its own customised and unique system If 10 countries will have same type of defence equipment your defence forces would have no uniqueness Uniqueness and surprise element are possible only when equipment develops in your own country he said in his address at the Defence Ministrys post-budget webinarIn the last few years India has been focussing on atmanirbharta or self-reliance in its defence sector he mentionedYou can see the commitment for it in this years budget too Modi added He also noted that the process of importing defence items is so long that by the time they reach our security forces many of them have become outdated and therefore the solution is to go for indigenous manufacturingEven during the period of slavery and immediately after Independence the strength of our defence manufacturing was very high Weapons made in India played a big role in World War II he said Although this strength of ours kept on weakening in later years it shows that there was no shortage of capacity in India then and neither it is there now he addedAbout 70 percent of this years defence budget has been kept for domestic industry only he saidThe strength of Indias IT is our great strength The more we use this power in our defence sector the more confident we will be in our security he notedFor example cyber security is no longer limited to the digital world only It has become a matter of national security he addedThe prime minister said it is a source of happiness that in the last five-six years India has increased defence exports by six timesToday India is providing Made in India defence equipments and services to more than 75 countries he noted As a result of the Centres boost to Make in India in the last seven years more than 350 new industrial licences have been issued for defence manufacturing he mentioned From 2001 to 2014 only 200 such licences were issued he notedSo far the Defence Ministry has issued positive indigenisation list of over 200 defence platforms and equipment he saidAfter the announcement of this list contracts of around Rs 54000 crore have been signed for domestic procurement he noted On top of this the procurement process related to equipment worth more than Rs 45 lakh crore is in different stages Modi stated We have issued two positive indigenisation listsVery soon there will be the third list as well he added PTI DSP DV DV

New Delhi Feb 26 PTI Cyber security is no longer limited to just the digital world as it has now become a matter of national security Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on FridayHe also noted that the process of importing defence items is so long that by the time they reach our security forces many of them have become outdated and therefore the solution is to go for indigenous manufacturingEven during the period of slavery and immediately after Independence the strength of our defence manufacturing was very high Weapons made in India played a big role in World War II he said in his address at the Defence Ministrys post-budget webinarAlthough this strength of ours kept on weakening in later years it shows that there was no shortage of capacity in India then and neither it is there now he addedAbout 70 percent of this years defence budget has been kept for domestic industry only he saidThe strength of Indias IT is our great strength The more we use this power in our defence sector the more confident we will be in our security he notedFor example cyber security is no longer limited to the digital world only It has become a matter of national security he addedIt is a source of happiness that in the last five-six years India has increased defence exports by six times he saidToday India is providing Made in India defence equipments and services to more than 75 countries he noted PTI DSP DV DV

New Delhi Sep 28 PTI In tune with a decision by the Union Cabinet the Ordnance Factory Board OFB will stand dissolved with effect from October 1 and its assets employees and management are being transferred to seven newly established defence public sector undertakings DPSUs according to an official order by the defence ministry The name of the seven defence PSUs are Munition India Ltd Armoured Vehicles Nigam Ltd Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Ltd Troop Comforts Ltd Yantra India Ltd India Optel Ltd and Gliders India Ltd the ministry said in its order In a major reform initiative the Cabinet on June 16 had approved a long-pending proposal to restructure the over 200-year-old Ordnance Factory Board that operates 41 ammunition and military equipment production facilities into seven state-owned corporate entities to improve its accountability efficiency and competitiveness Defence Minister Rajnath Singh already clarified that there will be no change in service conditions of nearly 70000 employees of the organisation and the decision to corporatise the OFB is driven by efforts to boost Indias defence manufacturing sector In the order dated September 28 the defence ministry said Government of India has decided to transfer with effect from October 1 the management control operations and maintenance of these 41 production units and identified non-production units to seven government companies wholly owned by the government of India The OFB is currently a defence ministry entity and supplies critical arms and ammunition to the three armed forces and the paramilitary The government has decided that all the employees of OFB Groups A B and C belonging to the production units and also the identified non-production units shall be transferred en masse to the new DPSUs on terms of foreign service without any deputation allowance deemed deputation initially for a period of two years from the appointed date the order said It said each of the new DPSUs is required to frame rules and regulations related to service conditions of the absorbed employees and seek an option for permanent absorption from the employees on deemed deputation to the respective DPSUs within a period of two years The service conditions of the absorbed employees would not be inferior to the existing ones the order said adding a committee would be constituted by the Department of Defence Production DDP for guiding the new DPSUs that the absorption package given is attractive It said the pension liabilities of the retirees and existing employees will continue to be borne by the government from the defence ministrys budget For the employees recruited after January 1 2004 the National Pension Scheme applicable to the Central Government employees is in vogue and the same may be adopted by the new DPSUs including the continuation of all special provisions applicable to Central government employees under the National Pension System it said PTI DSP MPB SMN SMN