Context: Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a ventilator and plans to produce 5,000 of them per month to treat COVID-19 patients.

• DRDO had developed a ventilator along with the Society for Biomedical Technology (SBMT) and now the technology has been transferred to an industry in Mysuru.
• The industry is producing the secondary version of a ventilator initially developed by DRDO.
• Currently, it has a capacity to manufacture 5,000 ventilators per month and this could be scaled up to 10,000 per month.

Other contributions by DRDO

• DRDO laboratories have manufactured 20,000 litres of sanitiser and supplied to various organisations like Delhi police.
• It has developed N-99 and 3-layered masks and supplied 10,000 masks to Delhi police personnel.
• It is tying up with some private companies to make personal protection equipment such as body suits and also ventilators.
• It is working on providing ready-to-eat meals for the government and health workers through the Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore which already supplies them to the armed forces.
• The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has also increased the production of sanitisers, masks and bodysuits.

About DRDO

• It is the R&D wing of Ministry of Defence, Govt of India, with a vision to empower India with cutting-edge defence technologies and a mission to achieve self-reliance in critical defence technologies and systems, while equipping our armed forces with state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment in accordance with requirements laid down by the three Services. 
• It pursuit of self-reliance and successful indigenous development and production of strategic systems and platforms such as Agni and Prithvi series of missiles; light combat aircraft, Tejas; multi-barrel rocket launcher, Pinaka; air defence system, Akash; a wide range of radars and electronic warfare systems; etc., have given quantum jump to India's military might, generating effective deterrence and providing crucial leverage.
• It is a network of more than 50 laboratories which are deeply engaged in developing defence technologies covering various disciplines, like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, combat vehicles, engineering systems, instrumentation, missiles, advanced computing and simulation, special materials, naval systems, life sciences, training, information systems and agriculture.

About Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) 

• Indian Ordnance Factories is a giant industrial setup which functions under the Department of Defence Production of the Ministry of Defence. Indian Ordnance Factories, headquartered at Kolkata, is a conglomerate of 41 Factories, 9 Training Institutes, 3 Regional Marketing Centres and 4 Regional Controller of Safety.

Its Mission: Production of State of the Art Battle Field Equipments
Its Vision

• To Equip our Armed Forces with Modern Defence and Battle Field Equipments
• To Continuously Modernise our Production Facilities
• To Train and Motivate Personnel
• To equip ourselves with Technologies through Acquisition, Synergy and In-house R&D
• To Continuously Improve Quality
• To improve operational efficiency and communications by extensive use of information technology
• To improve highest level of customer satisfaction
• To increase customer base in Defence, Non-Defence and Export markets and establish Global Presence