DRDO Chief sacked?

[JanjaWeed]

Looks like the new govt really means business

Maybe that's one of the reason why Manohar Parikkar was roped in.. to get things done. He din't sacrifice CMship to warm a chair at South Block. Sign of good things happening in defence section!

 

[sancho]

Does it come under MOD?

https://twitter.com/x/status/555017353239355393

Finally!

 

[Guynextdoor2]

Indeed. Mr Avinash Chander has served nation well .
He is deemed as architect of Agni missiles ...
So this is something very unusual and serious .

If he is being removed immediately after having been given extension that means something serious must have been discovered by the Government ...we are unlikely to know the reasons why he has been removed unceremoniously .

or could be plain power struggle, new defence minister wants to prove who is boss.

 

[Indo-guy]

Oh well didn't see it. So the news turned out to be true.

Current government is following performance of all departments very closely and any PSU / govt aided organization not doing well has its Chief's Head on the line.

I doubt if that is the case . He was given extension already .
some thing serious must have been discovered by the Govt .
This does not seem to be just case of performance appraisal .

If at all looking at the individual performance of Mr Avinash Chander - he has delivered well .

 

[Echo_419]

Finally!

Let's hope that the new Chief of DRDO focuses on doing more & showing off a lot less

 

[Indo-guy]

or could be plain power struggle, new defence minister wants to prove who is boss.

Modi is the ultimate boss !
I do not think either Modi or Parrikar are so immature to rethink the already bestowed extension so quickly ..
There is more than meets the eye .

 

[Echo_419]

or could be plain power struggle, new defence minister wants to prove who is boss.

You have got good imagination

 

[anant_s]

Actually the government has made it quite clear this year that unless a person is absolutely irreplaceable or involved in a critical project at the time of retirement, extension WILL NOT BE GIVEN. Under exceptional circumstances, some kind of contract in role of advisor can be given limited to a period of 2 years max. even with extension, the time period will be limited to completion of project or finding an alternate, whichever is earlier.
My views are that this is quite a welcome move, as most chief's were busy getting extension of their term after the age of 60 (retirement) and it effectively meant that little time was devoted to their own work. It also led to stagnation at lower levels leading to discontentment.

 

[Indo-guy]

Maybe that's one of the reason why Manohar Parikkar was roped in.. to get things done. He din't sacrifice CMship to warm a chair at South Block. Sign of good things happening in defence section!

whether it's good thing or bad thing only time will tell ...
It is easy to remove and dismiss the people or destroy institutions ( e.g. planning commission ) but what is the subsequent follow up plan and action that is more important ...

 

[sancho]

Mr avinash chander had been heading some very crucial projects - agni V, Agni VI, K5 SLBM to name a few ...

You can't confuse his part in these projects, with the way he lead DRDO as a whole and there he sadly followed the style of his predecessor V. K. Saraswat, with lame promises and claiming DRDO be world class in the media, but delivering far too less.
And it wasn't so surprising:

Narendra Modi extremely unhappy with DRDO’s failure to meet deadlines in delivering products - Economic Times


What's interesting is, who will take over now and what changes for accountability will be implemented!

 

[Indo-guy]

Actually the government has made it quite clear this year that unless a person is absolutely irreplaceable or involved in a critical project at the time of retirement, extension WILL NOT BE GIVEN. Under exceptional circumstances, some kind of contract in role of advisor can be given limited to a period of 2 years max. even with extension, the time period will be limited to completion of project or finding an alternate, whichever is earlier.
My views are that this is quite a welcome move, as most chief's were busy getting extension of their term after the age of 60 (retirement) and it effectively meant that little time was devoted to their own work. It also led to stagnation at lower levels leading to discontentment.

How do you know that they are valuable or no ?
Mr Chander was working on very crucial projects ...Agni VI , K5 SLBM are very critical for country ...
Why govt gave him 18 months long extension in first place ...if he was replaceable ?

I think such ad hoc actions can be detrimental too .

I agree the repeated extension can choke up the growth of those downstream ....but He could have been retained in some other capacity ...

It is not easy to teach and generate talent in such high end critical technical area .

You can't confuse his part in these projects, with the way he lead DRDO as a whole and there he sadly followed the style of his predecessor V. K. Saraswat, with lame promises and claiming DRDO be world class in the media, but delivering far too less.
And it wasn't so surprising:

Narendra Modi extremely unhappy with DRDO’s failure to meet deadlines in delivering products - Economic Times


What's interesting is, who will take over now and what changes for accountability will be implemented!

what about Modi's own failure in meeting deadlines ?

I am saying that he has been valuable asset . If Govt was not happy - they should not have given him the extension in first place . there was no need to stage such fiasco .

You should understand that it is not easy to nurture the talent in the area Mr Avinash Chander has been working .

He could have been retained in some other capacity - the mantle of DRDO could have been passed to somebody else .

You can't confuse his part in these projects, with the way he lead DRDO as a whole and there he sadly followed the style of his predecessor V. K. Saraswat, with lame promises and claiming DRDO be world class in the media, but delivering far too less.
And it wasn't so surprising:

Narendra Modi extremely unhappy with DRDO’s failure to meet deadlines in delivering products - Economic Times


What's interesting is, who will take over now and what changes for accountability will be implemented!

Modi did not show same zeal in dismissing his errant ministers . did he ?

 

[sancho]

what about Modi's own failure in meeting deadlines ?

That's what the voters have to judge and change if necessary.

Modi did not show same zeal in dismissing his errant ministers . did he ?

As above.

I am saying that he has been valuable asset . If Govt was not happy - they should not have given him the extension in first place . there was no need to stage such fiasco .

Nobody denies that he was valuable in these project, but he wasn't as the DRDO chief and if I'm not wrong the extention was given by the former government.

 

[Indo-guy]

That's what the voters have to judge and change if necessary.



As above.



Nobody denies that he was valuable in these project, but he wasn't as the DRDO chief and if I'm not wrong the extention was given by the former government.

No the extension was given in November !

It was given by the Modi government itself .

 

[anant_s]

How do you know that they are valuable or no ?

No fixed set of rules but the ministry decides and has to file a detailed report whenever an extension case is put up. Besides the report also has to explain why the person is irreplaceable (in other words why isn't there an alternate?)
In organizational hierarchy, it is expected that alternate to chief of departments be identified that can take charge in case of absence or medical issues. So by that practice it is difficult to prove that there isn't an alternate and that explains why extensions are becoming rarer.

Why govt gave him 18 months long extension in first place ...if he was replaceable ?

That baffles me too, but obviously something has come up and i won't rule out friction between DM and Mr Chander. It could be something even more but i won't risk speculating, let MoD choose to tell.

Mr Chander was working on very crucial projects ...Agni VI , K5 SLBM are very critical for country ...

yes sir true, but unless he was personally managing the project (as project director), it'll be difficult to prove how the projects will suffer on his ouster.

 

[JanjaWeed]

whether it's good thing or bad thing only time will tell ...
It is easy to remove and dismiss the people or destroy institutions ( e.g. planning commission ) but what is the subsequent follow up plan and action that is more important ...

One size fits for all Planning commission was replaced by a more inclusive & diverse institution called Niti Ayog. Let's wait & see how Niti Ayog does before sending our condolences to Planning commission, which hasn't done a great job despite being in existence for so many decades. So it's not destroying exactly..,.but re-structuring.
Coming back to DRDO.. I'm not really conversant with the functioning of this organisation, but I have full confidence in Mr Parikkar's working, considering the kind of reputation he carries from his previous stint as the chief minister of Goa!