TheIndian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) is acivil service of theGovernment of India. IOFS officers are Gazetted (Group A) defence-civilian officers under theMinistry of Defence. They are responsible for the administration of theIndian Ordnance Factories, which provide the indigenous defence production capabilities of India.
During the colonial times, the administrative service of Ordnance was known as theIndian Ordnance Service.[1] It was constituted in the year 1935. It had only European officers in the years that followed. Only engineering graduates from theUniversity of Cambridge,University of Oxford, etc., were allowed to appear in the examination.[2] They had to undergo specialised training prior to joining the service. In 1939, there was only one Indian officer and the remaining forty-four officers were of European origin.
IOFS was reconstituted in its present form in 1954 with the cadre controlling authority of theMinistry of Defence – Department of Defence Production, with a cadre size of 1760 posts. The source of recruitment was through direct recruitment 60%; by promotion 40% and no lateral entries.
IOFS is a multi-disciplinary composite cadre consisting of technical – engineers (civil,electrical,mechanical,electronics), technologists (aerospace,automotive,marine,industrial/product design,computer,nuclear,optical,chemical,metallurgical,textile,leather) and non-technical/administrative (science,law,commerce,management andarts graduates). Technical posts account for about 87% of the total cadre. The doctors (surgeons andphysicians) serving in OFB belong to a separate service known as theIndian Ordnance Factories Health Service (IOFHS). IOFHS officers are responsible for the maintenance of health of the employees, and the hospitals of OFB. They report directly to the IOFS officers. IOFS and IOFHS are the only two civil services under the Department of Defence Production.[3]
Ordnance Factory Board is engaged in research, development, production, testing, marketing and logistics of a comprehensive product range in the areas of air, land and sea systems. It comprises forty-one Ordnance Factories, nine Training Institutes, three Regional Marketing Centres and four Regional Controllerates of Safety, which are spread all across the country.[4][5]
OFB is the world's largest government operated production organisation,[6] and the oldest organisation run by theGovernment of India.[7][8] It has a total workforce of about 164,000.[9] It is often called the "Fourth Arm of Defence",[10][11][12] and the "Force Behind the Armed Forces" of India.[13][14]It is amongst the top 50 defence equipment manufacturers in the world.[15][16] Its total sales were at $3 billion (₹ 19982.71 crores) in 2015–'16.[17] Every year, 18 March is celebrated as the Ordnance Factories' Day in India.[18][19]
The recruitment in the Indian Ordnance Factories as a Group A officer is done by theUnion Public Service Commission (UPSC), based on the performance in theEngineering Services Examination (ESE) and theCivil Services Examination (CSE).[20] Engineering posts are filled through the Engineering Services Examination, while technologists are selected through interviews by UPSC. Posts in the non-technical streams are filled through the Civil Services Examination. IOFS is the only cadre in which officials are selected by all four means – CSE, ESE, interviews and promotions. IOFHS officers are selected through theCombined Medical Services Examination, conducted by UPSC.[21][22][23] All appointments to theGroup A Civil Services are made by thePresident of India.[24]
The induction training programme of probationary officers is of 64 weeks, comprising technical, managerial and administrative modules of theoretical, practical and field nature. Classes are held at specialised educational institutions across India. Officer Trainees (OTs) are then sent onBharat Darshan (Tour of India), which includes visits to the nuclear, defence, space, industrial and other technical installations of India. To understand the nuances of bureaucracy, they are familiarised with the functioning of district, state, national and international bodies, including theParliament of India.Armed Forces attachment with theArmy,Navy,Air Force and with thePolice,Paramilitary andSpecial Forces, for better understanding of needs of their customers. To get acquainted with the Indian legal system, they visit theSupreme Court of India. Thus, giving them exposure to all the three arms of the Government of India. Following which, they are sent for on-the-job training to various Ordnance Factories and are expected to apply the knowledge and experience gained. Examinations are held at the end of the training. The training concludes with interactions with the Members of Parliament, Ministers in-charge of the Home, Foreign and Defence ministries, Prime Minister, vice-president and the President of India.[25]
The main functions performed by IOFS officers while at the Indian Ordnance Factories include product research & development, project management, materials management, production planning and control, quality control, supplies management, industrial safety, labour welfare, personnel management, industrial relations, management and maintenance of residential estates etc.
In discharging these functions, the IOFS officers interact extensively with:
Quality controlling agencies such asBureau of Indian Standards, Directorate of Standardisation,[34] Directorate General of Quality Assurance (Army),[35] Directorate General of Naval Armament Inspection (Navy),[36] Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (Air Force).[37][38]
Inter-Services Organisations such as Military Engineer Services,[39] Defence Exhibition Organisation.[40]
Public Sector Undertakings of the Ministry of Defence:HAL,BEL,BEML,BDL,MDL,GSL,GRSE,Midhani; other Govt. PSUs; various Indian and foreign, private as well as government companies.
IOFS is a participating civil service under the Central Staffing Scheme (CSS), which allows bureaucrats to move to any organisation, commission, institution, agency, department,ministry of the Government of India and the state governments,[47][48][49] on deputation basis (excluding posts which are specifically encadred within the organised Group A services), depending on their interests, educational qualifications, seniority, age and other eligibility criteria.[50][51][52]
R. M. Muzumdar - Second Indian Director General of the Indian Ordnance Factories. He was awarded thePadma Bhushan by the Government of India, in 1973, in the Civil service category, for his contributions during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971
Minister of State for Defence of India, M M Pallam Raju, with the Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) probationers at NADP Nagpur
IOFS probationers calling on the Union Minister for Defence, Shri Manohar Parrikar
Defence Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, with the IOFS probationers at South Block
IOFS probationary officers of the 2008 batch, with the President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, at Rashtrapati Bhavan
President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, in a group photograph with the Probationers of Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) 2014 (II) Batch and 2015 (I & II) Batches from the National Academy of Defence Production, Nagpur
President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, with Probationers of Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) from National Academy of Defence Production at Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 13, 2017
Officers of Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) called on the President of India Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 17, 2023
^"No. L-11012/02/2009-LTT"(PDF). Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. 20 February 2009. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 19 April 2012. Retrieved5 June 2013.
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