Small arms factories witnessed very less demand from armed forces: CAG

Small arms factories witnessed "either no demand or very less demand" from the armed forces during the 2015-16 to 2019-20 period, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has observed.

Performance Audit Report No. 5 of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Production of Small Arms in Ordnance Factories was presented in Parliament on Monday.

Eight weapon manufacturing factories, which were under the Weapon, Vehicles and Equipment (WV&E) group of the erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), have been grouped, post corporatisation of OFB, under one DPSU - M/s Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (M/s AWEIL), headquartered at Kanpur, it said in a statement.

Three weapon manufacturing factories viz. Rifle Factory Ishapore (RFI), Small Arms Factory Kanpur (SAF) and Ordnance Factory Trichy (OFT) manufacture small arms (rifles, machine guns, carbines, pistols, anti-riot/tear gas/pump action gun, etc.) for the armed forces, paramilitary forces (MHA) and the states/UTs,