Iofs Officer

Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS Officer) Eligibility, Functions, Training and Salary – Best Read in 2021

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The Indian Ordnance Factories Service is a civil service of the Government of India. An IOFS officer is a Gazetted defence-civilian officers under the Ministry of Defence (MoD). They are usually responsible for the management of the Indian Ordnance Factories, which furnish the defence production ability of India. 

The Indian Ordnance Factories is the oldest & largest industrial setup under the family of 41 Ordnance Factories of the aegis of its corporate headquarters at Ordnance Factory Board in Kolkata. The Indian Ordnance Factories Organisation (IOFO) is the oldest run production organization in India.  

The factories come under the Department of Defence (DoD) Production under Ministry of Defence (MoD).  The organization is engaged in the manufacture of Arms, Ammunitions, Equipment, Armoured Vehicles & Personnel Carriers, Transport Vehicles, Clothings and General Stores. After meeting the main requirement of the Armed Forces, spare capacities are utilized for supply to non-defence sector and exports.   

Note- To get an overview of Grade A posts and their nature, click on the link- UPSC Posts and Ranks. 

Divisions depend upon the type of the leading products/ technologies they are recruited. Which are as follows- Ordnance Factories are divided into five Operating Groups/Operating Groups- 

  • Ordnance Equipment (OE) 
  • Armoured Vehicles (AV) 
  • Materials and Components (M&C) 
  • Weapons, Vehicles and Equipment (WV&E) 
  • Ammunition & Explosives (A&E) 

Eligibility to be an IOFS Officer

The recruitment process in the Indian Ordnance Factories is done by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) based on their performance in the Engineering Services Examination and the Civil Services Examination. 

All the engineering posts are filled through the Engineering Services Examination (ESE), positions in the non-technical streams are filled through the CSE. Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) is the only body in which officials are selected by four means – Engineering Services Examination (ESE), CSE, interviews & promotions. Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFHS) officers are also selected through the Combined Medical Services Examination (CMSE), conducted by UPSC. 

Training to be an IOFS Officer

National Academy of Defence Production, Nagpur provides training to the IOFS officers in fields of technology, public administration as induction and re-orientation courses. 

The inaugural training programme of a probationary IOFS officer is of 64 weeks, comprising technical, managerial and administrative modules of theoretical, practical and field nature. Classes are held at specialized educational institutions across India. Officer Trainees are then sent on Bharat Darshan, which includes visits to the nuclear, space, defence, industrial and the other technical installations of our country. 

To recognize the nuances of bureaucracy, they are familiarised with the functioning of the district, national, state, and international bodies, including the Parliament of India (PoI). Armed Forces attachment with the Army, Air Force, Navy and with the Police, Paramilitary and Special Forces to appreciate the needs of their customers. 

 Note- To get the overview of the subject wise syllabus- Click in the link- UPSC CSE Syllabus. 

Functions of an IOFS Officer

The core function performed by an IOFS officer while at the Indian Ordnance Factories (IOF) includes:

  1. The product research and development 
  2. Project management  
  3. Materials management  
  4. Production planning and control 
  5. Quality control  
  6. Supplies management  
  7. Industrial safety 
  8. Neighbour elfare  
  9. Personnel management, industrial relations, management and maintenance of residential estates, etc.

Main functions at the Head Quarters

  • Conversion of Orders to Extracts for the factories, the production units.
  • Fixation of Annual Targets by mutual agreement in the meeting.
  • Receiving of Orders from various inventors.
  • Distribution of targets to factories.
  • Getting required Budget from Govt. on various heads.
  • Allotment of Budget to factories.

 Note- Please visit website https://ofbeproc.gov.in for the detailed information of the tender. 

In the void of these functions, the IOFS officer will interact extensively with: 

R&D organizations such as: ARAI, BARC, BPRD, CSIR, ISRO, DRDO.

Quality control agencies such as:

  1. Bureau of Indian Standards, Directorate of Standardisation, Directorate General of Quality Assurance (Army), Directorate General of Navy, Directorate General of Air Force. 
  2. Inter-Services Organizations such as: Military Engineer Services, Defence Exhibition Organisation.
  3. Accomplish statutory obligations, and to ensure the welfare of the workforce in the ordnance factories. 
  4. The IOFS officer will also connect with the officers of the Indian Armed Forces, State Armed Police Forces, Central Armed Police Forces, Paramilitary Forces of India, Special Forces of India, etc.

What is Unique in IOFS?

Once you are an IOFS officer, you get the best traditions of both worlds (Civil & Defence) being a Defence-Civilian Officer. You get to apply your Engineering, Management and Administrative knowledge and skills. 

Salary

All Civil Services of India (IAS, IPS, IFS, IFoS, IOFS, etc.) have the same Pay Scales for their analogous Grades. 

Note- Please go through the official notification for in-depth understanding

Summary/Overview

The Indian Ordnance Factories (IOF) organization – is a family of 41 Ordnance Factories (OF) under the protection of its corporate headquarters Ordnance Factory Board, Kolkata – possesses the unique distinction of over 200 years’ experience in defence production. We are engaged in:  

  1. Manufacturing, testing, logistics, research, development and marketing of a comprehensive product range in the area of land, sea and air systems.  
  1. The patronage we receive both in India and abroad speaks of our quality of products and services. Undoubtedly, we are the force behind the armed forces.

Areas covered in this article

  • Overview  
  • Salary 
  • Training 
  • Functions 
  • Eligibility 

Note- For more information- please visit- https://ofb.gov.in/. 

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