Recently, the Government of India cleared a proposal for the production of 18 indigenous Dhanush artillery guns. These guns are to be produced in India by which of the following organisations?

Introduction / Context:
Artillery guns are a vital part of a country's defence capability, and indigenous production strengthens self reliance in defence. Dhanush is an indigenous artillery gun system which has been developed as an upgraded version of earlier guns. Competitive examinations often ask which Indian organisation is responsible for manufacturing such weapons. This question refers to the government decision to clear the production of 18 Dhanush guns and asks who will produce them in India.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The weapon system mentioned is the Dhanush artillery gun.
• The Government of India has approved the production of 18 such guns.
• The options include the Indian Army, US Army, Indian Ordnance Factory Board and a joint production by Indian and US armies.
• We assume standard information about Indian defence production structures.

Concept / Approach:
The concept needed is knowledge of defence production responsibilities in India. The Indian Army is the user of artillery guns but is not the organisation that manufactures them. The United States Army is not involved in producing Indian indigenous weapons. Instead, Indian Ordnance Factory Board, under the Department of Defence Production, is responsible for manufacturing many types of weapon systems including artillery. Earlier Bofors type howitzers were licence produced or upgraded by Ordnance Factory Board, and Dhanush evolved from this line of work. Therefore, the correct approach is to identify the production agency rather than the user.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify Dhanush as an indigenous artillery gun system introduced for the Indian Army. Step 2: Recall that manufacturing and production of artillery guns in India are handled by Indian Ordnance Factory Board and its associated factories, not by the army itself. Step 3: Recognise that the US Army could not be responsible for producing an indigenous Indian artillery gun for India. Step 4: Note that a joint production line between Indian and US armies is not the standard arrangement for this gun, which is based on indigenous upgrades of earlier systems. Step 5: Conclude that Indian Ordnance Factory Board is the organisation designated to produce the 18 Dhanush guns.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by recalling that Ordnance Factory Board and its constituent ordnance factories have historically produced a wide variety of guns, ammunition and armoured vehicles for the Indian armed forces. They were also involved in modernising earlier Bofors gun designs, from which Dhanush has emerged as an upgraded indigenous system. Official announcements about acceptance of Dhanush into the army also refer to Ordnance Factory Board as the production agency. Since the Indian Army only operates the guns, not manufactures them, and foreign armies are clearly not involved in indigenous production, the choice of Indian Ordnance Factory Board is consistent with how defence production works in India.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Indian Army: The army is the user of the artillery guns on the battlefield, but it does not run the factories that build them.
• US Army: This foreign army is not involved in producing an indigenous Indian artillery system for the Indian government.
• Indian and US Army jointly: There is no such joint army production arrangement for Dhanush; collaboration, if any, would be between governments and industrial partners, not between armies as producers.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to conflate the operator of a weapon system with its manufacturer. Many candidates see the word artillery and immediately pick Indian Army because they imagine who uses the guns rather than who builds them. Another pitfall is to be distracted by the mention of the US Army and to think of earlier Bofors controversies or foreign deals, even though Dhanush is an indigenous upgrade. Remembering the clear separation between user and manufacturer helps avoid such confusion.

Final Answer:
The 18 indigenous Dhanush artillery guns are to be produced in India by the Indian Ordnance Factory Board.