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Parliamentary panel moots export of Indian defence products

Parliament's standing committee on defence has noted with concern that the government had not been able to successfully tap the markets abroad for export of ordnance factories' products.

In its latest report tabled in the Lok Sabha today, the committee asked the government to provide a special waiver of licence restrictions currently applicable to export of Ordnance Factory Board items.

Once these restrictions are removed, the export of OFB goods may grow, the committee feels.

The committee also recommended to the government to gear up the Indian High Commissions and embassies to formulate strategies for defence exports and also set up a separate marketing division in the ordnance factory board for boosting their sales potential in the international market.

If necessary, the government should also have a re-look at the negative list of countries maintained by the ministry of external affairs for pruning it to the minimum.

On modernisation of ordnance factories, the committee feels that due representation to professional/scientists from non-defence areas, particularly from premier academic and other research institutions, should be given so that the task of modernisation is undertaken perfectly and comprehensively.

The committee also feels that modernisation once undertaken should be valid at least for 15 to 20 years. The committee further feels that it is only appropriate for the government to place the blue-print prepared by the modernisation committee before them or before a select group of them so that members, some of whom are scientists themselves, could offer their suggestions particularly in the fast-changing technological areas like optics.

On research and development, the committee noted with concern the paltry sums earmarked for in-house research purposes in ordnance factories.

Constant and continuous training programmes in workshops, universities and other institutes of higher learning is a pre-requisite for the manpower or engage themselves in research and development.

The committee recommended that opportunities for such learning exercises should be increased and special departmental programmes should be chalked out for encouraging manpower to diversify into research.

The committee, therefore, recommended that sums earmarked for research and development should be increased for achieving these objectives and the current ceiling on amounts spent on research and development should be removed.

On manpower planning, the committee recommended to the government that all surplus manpower particularly in higher age-groups should be phased out.

A golden handshake scheme specificaly targeting the higher age groups should be introduced. The committee noted with concern the unrest amongst workers in some ordnance factories which has a detrimental effect on defence production.

The committee, therefore, recommended that laws should be suitably amended so that interests of the nation are harmoniously reconciled to the interests of the individual workers.

It should be considered whether posts falling vacant because of retirements should at all be filled and whether the need of skilled workers could be met by transferring staff from one ordnance factory to another.

Only after examining this possibility, recruitment should be undertaken. A personnel policy valid for the next 25 to 30 years should be immediately drawn up to meet the challenges posed by the present problems in manpower planning.

The committee recommended that the interaction of the ordnance factories with civil industries should be frequent, continuous and on a high organisational platform for reaping the intended benefits.

The committee further recommended that the idle manpower in unutilised capacities should be identified for deployment on short term basis to civil industries for production-related industrial/trade training for upgrading skills.

The committee also desired that the government should offload low-technology items. The committee also feels that an intensification of the interfacing of the ordnance factories and the civil industries would not only be in the larger interest of the nation, but will also help reinforcing each other.

The civil sector plays an important role in the defence sector. The committee feels that with regard to a number of sophisticated areas, particularly electronics and optics, there is much in common in technologies for civil and defence use.

The development of an integrated industrial sector could be greatly stimulated by encouraging and promoting this commonality which would also help in avoiding incidence of new investments by the government on the same technologies already available in civil sector.

UNI

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