Panel wants overhaul in DRDO’s set-up

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Panel wants overhaul in DRDO’s set-up


Rajat Pandit | TNN



New Delhi: Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has taken yet another hit. After being slammed for huge time and cost overruns in virtually all its projects, a parliamentary committee has now called for DRDO’s drastic overhaul if it’s to supply cutting-edge weapon systems to the armed forces in time.
And the ‘‘fundamental changes’’ must start at the very top. In its latest report tabled in Parliament on Friday, apart from recording Defence Research and Development Organisation’s ‘‘disappointing performance’’, the Standing Committee on defence expressed its ‘‘displeasure’’ at the scientific advisor (SA) to the defence minister wearing so many hats.
In addition to being the SA, he is also director-general of DRDO, secretary (R&D) and director-general of Aeronautical Development Agency. This must change, as also DRDO’s penchant for taking too many things on its plate.
Venturing as it does even into making juices, mosquito repellents, titanium dental implants and the like, the committee said DRDO must concentrate only on ‘‘fundamental and crucial’’ defence research.
Urging the government to encourage the private sector to come into defence R&D and production in a major way, the committee said DRDO must be made more accountable and open to independent auditing.
A comprehensive national policy should also be formulated to recruit and retain ‘‘talented and experienced’’ scientists in Defence Research and Development Organisation, which has a shortage of around 1,400 scientists, as also promote its closer cooperation with IITs and universities.
Calls for a revamp of Defence Research and Development Organisation, of course, are not new. This newspaper, in several reports, has highlighted that it continues to flounder in developing desperately-needed military capabilities for the country.
Whether it’s the much-touted Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), sanctioned in 1983 but still at least four-five years away from becoming fully-operational, or the bulky Arjun mainbattle tank, which the Army is being forced to swallow, the story has remained grim.
With the mind-boggling delays, the costs of most of Defence Research and Development Organisation projects have simply zoomed up. Take the LCA programme. Its initial projected cost was Rs 560 crore. But now, it stands at Rs 5,490 crore, with another Rs 2,893 crore for its Kaveri engine. By the time the LCA becomes operational, if it does, over Rs 10,000 crore would have been sunk into it.
So, it’s no wonder that India has become the largest importer of military hardware and software in the developing world, notching up arms deals worth $11 billion in just 2004 and 2005. It will spend another $30 billion over the next five years in armament imports. In view of all this, the parliamentary report expressed the ‘‘urgent need’’ for ‘‘a thorough review’’ of the functioning and organisational set-up of Defence Research and Development Organisation, which has 50 establishments and over 33,000 personnel under its umbrella.
Expressing dismay that DRDO had managed to achieve only 30% indigenisation target as against the 70% target set for the 10th Plan (2002-2007), the panel said the organisation has not been able to achieve its mission of self-reliance in defence production even 48 years after it was established.