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The three major worker federations, including the BMS-affiliated Bharatiya Pratirakasha Mazdoor Sangh, representing about 80,000 employees working in the 41 ordnance factories under the Department of Defence Production, have written to President Ramnath Kovind to take action on a complaint against the Expression of Interest cum Request for Proposal (EoI cum EFP) for corporatisation of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), which is before the Central Vigilance Commissioner. Some former employees of the OFB have filed the complaint to CVC.
‘Serious gaps in plan’
Citing a report on the matter that appeared in BusinessLine, the three federations, controlled by the Left, INTUC and the BMS, said there are gross irregularities and serious lacunae in the EOI-cum-RFP floated by the Government to select a consultant to process the corporatisation of the ordnance factories. “The complainant points out many irregularities including the generosity shown about making payment to the vendor as fast as possible so that Ministry of Defence and consultant will be out of picture, let whatever happens to the Ordnance Factories,” the All India Defence Employees Federation, the Indian National Defence Workers Federation, and the BPMS said in a joint statement.
‘President should help’
They said the President should intervene in this serious matter. “If the allegations made in the complaint to the CVC are true, then the officials of DDP have not done due diligence for use of public money and they have not adhered to Rule 21 of GFR 2017. Such officials have been entrusted with the responsibility of Corporatisation of the Ordnance Factories. We are afraid that if this proceeds in this direction it will have serious implications about the future of the Ordnance Factories and the Defence preparedness of our country,” the complaint said.
It added that the ordnance factories should also be under President’s control and they should not be handed to private corporate through the corporatisation route.
“At present the ordnance factories are accountable to the Parliament and subjected to CAG Audit. A major portion of the defence budget is for procurement and the private corporates are always having an eagles eye on the defence budget. It is also pertinent to mention here about the past history where so many complaints about corruption in defence procurements from private sector and foreign military industries has taken place and shaken the country. The country cannot afford once again to land in to any defence scams,” the complaint added.
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