ECIL was setup under the Department of Atomic Energy on 11th April, 1967 with a view to generate a strong  indigenous capability in the field of professional grade electronics. The initial accent was on total self-reliance and ECIL was engaged in the Design, Development, Manufacture and Marketing of several products with emphasis on three technology lines viz. Computers, Control Systems and Communications. Over the years, ECIL pioneered the development of various complex electronics products without any external technological help and scored several 'firsts' in these  fields prominent among them being country's

First Digital Computer

First Solid State TV

First Control & Instrumentation of Nuclear Power Plants

First Earth Station Antenna

First Computrized Operator Information System

First Radiation Monitoring & Detection Systems

First Automatic Message Switching Systems

First Operation & Maintenance Center For E-108 Exchange

First Programmable Logic Controller

First Solid State Cockpit Voice Recorder

First Electronic Voting Machines

The company played a very significant role in the training and growth of high caliber technical and managerial manpower especially in the fields of Computers and Information Technology. Though the initial thrust  was on meeting the Control & Instrumentation requirements of the Nuclear Power Program, the expanded scope of self-reliance pursued by ECIL enabled the company to develop various products to cater to the needs of  Defence, Civil Aviation, Information & Broadcasting, Telecommunications, Insurance, Banking, Police, and Para-Military Forces, Oil & Gas, Power, Space Education, Health, Agriculture, Steel and Coal sectors and various user departments in the Government domain. ECIL thus evolved as a multi-product company serving multiple sectors of Indian economy with emphasis on import of country substitution and development of products & services that are of economic and strategic significance to the country.