ER Sheikh takes charge as first Director General of Ordnance Directorate

ER Sheikh on September 30, 2021, took charge as the first Director-General of the Ordnance Directorate (Co-ordination and Services) which is the newly-created entity to replace the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). As per the Defence Ministry, Ordnance Directorate is the successor organization of the OFB. The Indian Government dissolved OFB on October 1, 2021, and transferred its assets, management, employees to seven newly-set up Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).

Who is ER Sheikh?

ER Sheikh is an Indian Ordnance Factory Service (IOFS) officer of the 1984-batch. Sheikh has worked for the establishment of the modern production line system for the manufacture of small arms and ammunition at the Ordnance Factory Varangaon.

As Deputy Director General (DDG)-Propellants and Explosives, he supervised several projects related to plant modernization in explosive factories that enhanced quality, safety, and productivity. He also spearheaded the successful indigenous development of the Bi-Modular Charge System (BMCS) for artillery ammunition.

ER Sheikh graduated from IIT Kanpur. While serving across several Ordnance Factories, Sheikh was General Manager of the Ordnance Factory, Itarsi. He was also a member of various Defence Delegations to foreign countries as a representative of the OFB and the Ministry of Defence. He received the Ayudh Ratna Award 2020 for his exemplary services to the OFB.

Dissolution of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) – Background

The Centre issued orders on September 24, 2021, for dissolution of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) from October 1, 2021. All the assets, management, employees, operations of the 41 Ordnance Factories were to be transferred to seven Defence Public Sector Units (DPSUs). The Centre on June 16, 2021, had approved a long-awaited proposal to dismantle and restructure the 220-year old OFB into smaller seven corporate entities for better autonomy, efficiency, and accountability in ordnance supplies.

On October 11, 2021, the Ministry of Defence announced that as part of the Ordnance Factory Board Corporatization, seven new DPSUs will be launched on October 15, 2021. These seven new DPSUs were inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on October 15.

Also read: Why was 220-year-old Ordnance Factory Board Dismantled by the Govt? – Explained