National seminar discusses safety framework for military explosives and propellants
PUNE, AUGUST: A national seminar on “Military Explosives and Propellants: Safety and Compliance” was organised in Pune by the Controllerate of Quality Assurance (Military Explosives) under the Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA), Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, to deliberate on strengthening safety standards and regulatory compliance in the defence sector.
The seminar was inaugurated by Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary, Department of Defence Production, while the welcome address was delivered by N. Manoharan, Director General of Quality Assurance.
The event brought together policymakers, senior government officials, defence production leaders, scientists, industry experts and academicians. Among those present were Garima Bhagat, Joint Secretary (Land Systems), Prakash Rajpurohit, Joint Secretary (Defence Industrial Production), the Chairman and Managing Director of Munitions India Limited, representatives from the explosives industry, scientists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and experts from leading academic institutions.
Discussions focused on strengthening institutional mechanisms for safety and compliance across the military explosives and propellants sector. Participants deliberated on improving process safety, reducing accidents in explosives manufacturing facilities, promoting automation, adopting advanced safety technologies and enhancing coordination among government agencies, defence public sector undertakings, private industry, research organisations and academia.
A key highlight of the seminar was the emphasis on creating a comprehensive safety framework covering the complete lifecycle of military explosives and propellants—from design and development to manufacturing, testing, transportation, storage, handling and operational deployment.
The seminar also proposed the formation of a joint working group comprising representatives from government departments, defence establishments, industry, research organisations and academia. The proposed body would facilitate coordinated action, develop common safety protocols, promote the exchange of best practices and strengthen accident-prevention measures.
The initiative aims to reinforce India’s national safety ecosystem while ensuring the availability of safe, reliable and high-quality arms and ammunition for the Armed Forces. It also seeks to support innovation, technological advancement and the continued growth of the domestic defence manufacturing sector.
The vote of thanks was delivered by T. K. Varadarajan, Controller, Controllerate of Quality Assurance (Military Explosives), Pune, who also served as the organiser of the seminar.
The seminar reflected the Government of India’s continued emphasis on safety, compliance, innovation and collaboration in the military explosives and propellants sector.
