‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ boost, will benefit 200 Indian firms, create 8,000 jobs The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Thursday that it has placed an order with the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) for 118 indigenous Arjun Mark 1A main battle tanks (MBTs) for the army. The Arjun Mark 1A has been developed by the Central Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) in Chennai — a Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratory — and will be manufactured in the OFB’s Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Avadi. “This production order to HVF, Avadi opens up a large avenue in defence manufacturing for over 200 Indian vendors including MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), with employment opportunities to around 8,000 people,” an MoD statement said. “The order, worth Rs 7,523 crore, will provide a further boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative in the defence sector and is a big step towards achieving ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, envisioned by Prime Mini...