Union Home Ministry is seeking to procure arms/ammunition from private firms besides State-run Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) for the Central paramilitary forces and Central Police Organisations.
A meeting was held via video conferencing last Friday with at least 17 private firms and the Ministry may float tenders to procure such items from non-state players, sources said.
The meeting under the subject head “Procurement of Arms and Ammunition by CAPFs/CPOs from Private Domestic Manufacturers” was held under the chairmanship of Minister of State in the Home Ministry G Kishan Reddy with private sector industries having licence for manufacturing arms/ammunition. The meeting was held to explore the possibilities to enhance the procurement of these items from private companies besides the OFB.
The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) or the Central paramilitary forces with a combined manpower of about 10 lakh include the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guards (NSG) and Assam Rifles. The CPOs include organisations under the Home Ministry like Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). The CAPF and CPOs were also represented in the meeting.
The online meeting connected to 40 locations locations across the country also had participation from industry bodies like ASSOCHAM, CII, FICCI and PH DCCI besides representatives of the domestic arms/ammunition industry.
The list of invited companies with industrial licence to manufacture arms/ammunition included Indtech Construction Pvt Ltd (small arms and ammunition like 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, 9 mm, 12.7 mm and 14.5 mm calibre)Larsen & Toubro Ltd (armament including ammunition/ordnance like missiles, rockets and torpedo land/naval mines), Vem Technologies Pvt Ltd. (Assembly, Integration & checkout of arms and ammunition, rockets and missiles), Sec Industries Pvt Ltd. (static and mobile launchers for air launch missiles of short, medium and long range, rockets, bombs & ammunitions) and Hyt Engineering Company Pvt Ltd (manufacture of shells for ammunition of various calibres).
Others companies included Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Ltd(empty shells and required fuses for ammunition and explosive such as bombs, mines, missiles and torpedoes excluding the filling of explosives), Lords Vanijya Pvt Ltd (manufacture and assembly of ammunition, empty fuses, primers and switches), Micron Instrument Pvt Ltd (weapon systems like mortars, rocket launchers, grenade launchers and missile launchers besides ammunition for anti-aircraft guns, artillery guns, tank guns etc as also sub assemblies weapon systems).
The list also included Premier Explosives Ltd, BF Elbit Advanced Systems Pvt Ltd, Solar Industries India Ltd, Kalyani Strategic System Ltd, Himachal Futuristic Communication Ltd, Continental Defence Solutions Pvt Ltd, Shan Arms Industries Pvt Ltd, Pipav Defence and Offshore Engineering Company Ltd and Hughes Precision Manufacturing Ltd.
An official privy to the discussions said tendering for procurement of these items outside OFB.