By Pradip R Sagar May 02, 2018 18:29 IST – THE WEEK
DRDO chief S. Christopher (left) with Arun Jaitley, during his brief tenure as defence minister in 2017 | Facebook account of DRDO
With the tenure of S. Christopher, current chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), coming to an end later this month, the race for the top post in the country’s premier defence research organisation has begun. Christopher, who was given a one-year extension at the last moment in May 2017, though, is also eyeing another extension. But whether he will be second time lucky is unclear.
Hectic parleys have begun for the coveted post. The key players who are in the race to lead the DRDO include Sudhir Mishra, director general of BrahMos missile system division, and G. Satheesh Reddy, who is presently serving as director general (Missiles & Strategic Systems) and scientific advisor to the defence minister. Besides Mishra and Reddy, P.K. Mehta, who is currently heading the office of the director general of armament and combat engineering systems, is considered to be in the race to head DRDO, which has an annual budget of nearly Rs 20,000 crore.
According to sources in South Block, Reddy is the senior-most scientist in the organisation after Christopher. His name figured prominently last year also, but Christopher managed to get an extension at the last minute, meaning Reddy would need to wait for a year. Former defence minister Manohar Parrikar had bifurcated the post of DRDO chief and scientific advisor to the defence minister, which earlier used to be occupied by one person. Christopher is completing his tenure on May 29.
Mishra, head of BrahMos missile system division—a joint venture between India and Russia— is also among candidates vying for the top post in DRDO.
Mehta, who is heading the Pune-based cluster of armament and combat engineering systems, can be a dark horse in the race due to his proximity with top BJP leaders, sources claimed.
Christopher, who took over as the head of DRDO in May 2015, did his best to impress Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman by showcasing the work done under his leadership towards self-reliance in the recently concluded DefExpo in Chennai. A special pavilion under the ‘Make in India’ theme was inaugurated by Modi, in which all major equipment designed and developed by DRDO were showcased. Last year, Christopher had directed all the labs to remove his photographs, just two weeks before he was to retire. But only at the last minute, he was given extension for a year by the government.
DRDO has often been criticised for delayed projects, as most of its ventures, ranging from the Tejas light combat aircraft to long-range surface-to-air missile systems, have been repeatedly missing deadlines, with huge cost overruns. In the absence of self-reliance in defence, the Indian armed forces continue to be heavily dependent on imports. India continues to top the list of global importers of military hardware, with over 70 per cent of armed forces’ requirements being met by foreign firms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first interaction with DRDO scientists in 2014 had sent a stern message to the defence research agency against their ‘chalta hai’ attitude.
By Pradip R Sagar | Express News Service | Published: 09th October 2016 NEW DELHI: During his first interaction with the DRDO scientists, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conveyed a stern message to them — “Shed this ‘chalta hai’ attitude.”
However, it seems that things have plunged to a new low.
At a conference, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) asked a canteen boy to give a presentation on ‘border security’ because the scientists who were supposed to hold the session didn’t turn up.
There’s more to the story. In the absence of experts, and to make up numbers, the DRDO sent peons, drivers, mechanics, storekeepers and other non-technical staff to attend the conference.
“We didn’t have suitable candidates to represent us, so some laboratories sent administrative and non-technical staff, including Class-4 employees to fill in the chairs,” said a DRDO official.
Quoting a senior official, an insider told Express, “I was told, ‘let them (peons, drivers, store attendants, canteen boys) also enjoy and have a picnic.’”
The conference, which was regarding the DRDO’s contribution in managing border security in the Himalayan region, was held on Thursday and Friday.
It was organised by the DRDO’s Uttarakhand-based Defence Institute of Bio-energy Research (DIBER), which is engaged in research in the first of bio-energy and non- conventional energy for defence forces. Six key laboratories were asked to send their representatives to participate in the conference.
The idea behind the two-day conference titled ‘Vaigyanik Evam Takniki Sanghoshti’ was to promote use of Hindi language.
Sources claim that since the conference was organised in Pithoragarh district (Uttarakhand), which is close to the China border, many senior scientists expressed their unwillingness to travel 600 km in the hilly terrain and cited “ill health” or “personal” reasons for saying “no”.
The institutes which sent their representatives included Institute of Technology Management (Mussoorie), Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (Dehradun), Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (Chandigarh) and Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (Chandigarh) and DIBER. The DRDO has often faced criticism for its tardy performance, resulting in more than 70 per cent dependence of India’s armed forces on foreign players.
By Pradip R Sagar Published: 02 Oct 2016 The Sunday Standard
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
NEW DELHI: In order to weed out the dead woods, country’s premier defence research agency Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which is often faced criticism for its tardy performance, is looking for young scientist to head one of its laboratory. It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advise to DRDO to hire young scientists, not over the age of 35 years to head at least five laboratories of defence research agency.
Following PM’s advise, Uttarakhand based Defence Institute of Bio-energy Research (DIBER), which is engaged in research in the first of bio energy and non conventional energy for defence use, has invited applications from candidates before the age of 35 years to head the lab. Officials claim this is the first step in the chain of events to give important role to young scientists, as Modi government has already banned giving extensions to scientists who have completed their tenure. It is notable that till two years back, DRDO’s top 15 scientists were on extension of service. PM Modi in his first interaction with DRDO scientists had sent a stern message to defence research agency for their ‘chalta hai’ attitude, as most of DRDO projects, ranging from Tejas light combat aircraft to long-range surface-to-air missile systems have been missing repeated deadlines with huge cost overruns.
But sources in the agency said, appointing youch scientists to head laboratories may not go down well with senior scientists working with defence research.
But, officials said that hiring of Director of lab below the age of 35 years will send message to everyone working in DRDO to deliver. Modi has last year short listed Satish Reddy, the youngest ever scientific advisor to the defence minsitry.
“Certainly it’s an effort to get rid of non-performing scientists. Merely age seniority will not matter. If India wants to be a superpower, our defence research has to be cutting edge. India remains to be top buyer of military hardware globally with nearly 70 per cent defence requirements meet by imports,” said an officer. It is the successful government’s failure to build a strong domestic defence industrial base due to sluggish performance of 52 DRDO laboratories, five defence PSUs , four shipyards and 39 Ordnance factories.
The Modi government has done the right thing by jolting an ossified bureaucracy
India’s ossified bureaucracy is being shuffled like never before. The most recent development in this realm has been the rather dramatic sacking of Sujatha Singh from the post of the Foreign Secretary and the appointment of S Jaishankar to that position. The rumours about this development were floating around for quite some time. Still, when the decision actually came to replace Singh about seven months before the end of her tenure, it ended up sending shock waves through the complacent Indian foreign policy establishment.
No one seems to be contesting that Jaishankar is a great choice. Yet the critics of the decision have largely focused on bureaucratic niceties by suggesting Jaishankar’s appointment not only curtailed Singh’s career but also ended up blocking the career prospects of some senior Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers. The reaction of the Congress Party has been rather strange with former information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari trying to link the action to the Khobragade episode involving an IFS officer who was jailed in the US two years ago for allegedly mistreating her maid. He tweeted: “Is sacking of Foreign Secretary late retribution for her stand on Devyani Khobragade affair? Removal after a Presidential visit ‘coincidental’?”
Such criticisms of the government’s decision are missing the key point. This decision should be viewed as part of a larger, and much needed, bureaucratic shake-up that the Prime Minister is engendering. Just two weeks ago, the government had also terminated the appointment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Avinash Chander, 15 months before his contract was to end.
Prime Ministers till now have devoted, at best, occasional interest in nuclear and strategic policy issues, mainly preferring to delegate substantial levels of policy making discretion to organisations like the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The conduct of the DRDO has been largely driven by an effort to protect its direct communicative link to the Prime Minister, secure recurrent generous funding, and maintain a high level of autonomy. Given its significant budgetary resources in the context of a developing nation, DRDO has repeatedly failed in delivering quality output. Major projects of the DRDO including the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Nag missile, Long-range Surface-to-Air missile project and the Airborne Early Warning and Control System have either not been completed on time or have resulted in huge cost overruns. It took the agency almost a decade and a half to operationalise the Agni-I.
The inattention or inability of the Prime Minister’s office so far to take concrete steps to improve the DRDO’s performance and compel it to cooperate with other defence bureaucratic stakeholders has permitted it a remarkable degree of self-governance in budgetary prioritisation, project design and delivery time-scale planning, and setting operational policy through regular statements outlining the doctrinal meaning of DRDO products. Prime Minister Modi had criticised the DRDO for its chalta hai attitude during an address in Kargil in August last year when he had said, “If a project was conceived in 1992, it should not be the case in 2014 we are still saying it will take some more time.” And in December last year, India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence had censured the DRDO, accusing it of shoddy research, chronic inefficiency, inordinate delays, corruption and its penchant for reverse engineering. The government seems to have taken the bull by the horns and removed Chander to ensure some semblance of accountability in the organisation.
The appointment of Jaishankar as foreign secretary is also along the same lines that merit would be rewarded. The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) needs to recognise that business as usual is no longer enough. At a time when India’s global imprint is expanding rapidly, a risk-averse foreign policy bureaucracy will not be able to meet the aspirations of the nation. The idea that seniority should determine who should be the nation’s top diplomat is an idea whose time has long gone. But bureaucratic resistance has prevented any substantive reforms in the service. There are hardly any incentives to perform and hardly any penalties for underperformance.
As a result, nearly everyone in the diplomatic service manages to rise to the upper echelons. Despite the fact that the best and the brightest are no longer attracted to the IFS, there have been few attempts to cultivate outside expertise, with hardly any opportunities for lateral entry or temporary rotations. In fact, it was Manmohan Singh who had wanted to introduce lateral entry in the Indian bureaucracy in his first term but the idea was quietly killed by the bureaucracy (who else?). Personnel are scarce and demands are growing on the IFS but Indian diplomats have not managed to transform the service and change its character to suit the needs of the time. Is it any wonder then that ad hocism pervades Indian foreign policy thinking?
Bureaucracies, if not competently led and directed, tend to morph into interest groups with a focus on preserving their own institutional privileges. In democracies, effective political control and guidance is absolutely critical if the role of bureaucracies is not to become corrosive on policymaking. It is in the nature of bureaucracies to be risk-averse. Leave them alone and they will muddle along the path of least resistance, trying to increase their power by resisting change. The Modi government is right in shaking things up and making Indian bureaucracies more accountable and effective. But much more remains to be done!
To Date 16th October 2014Hon’bleShri Narendra Modi,Prime Minister of India,Room No -152, PMO, South Block,New Delhi-110011
Subject : Request to utilized scientific potential of Dr. A.K. Singh, DOP, DRDO HQ to Lab/Estt under Life Sciences Cluster
Hon’ble Sir,
Human Resource is an asset of an organisation and proper utilisation and deployment of its HR/Manpower is challenging job for an organisation especially on DRDO which holding very significant responsibility for the nation. In the past several years DRDO cannot meet its target well within time and seeking extensions in PDC again & again in several major projects of national significance. This drawback of DRDO has been noticed by Hon’ble Ex-PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, Ex- Defence Minister Shri A.K. Antony, CAG, CGDA, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence (15th Lok Sabha). This has been also noticed and criticised by you in DRDO Award Function on 20th August 2014 by saying “Chalta Hai wala attitude nahin chalega“.
Poor HR planning and deployment of scientists in various Lab/Estt of DRDO is major reason for not delivering the products and timely completion of project. Almost each and every lab/Estt all sundry work (Admin/Stores/Security/MTO/Library/works/ conservancy etc) are managed by qualified scientist and technical officials (more than 15% of total strength of DRDO) Simultaneously they are drawing all perks which is provided towards incentive in the name of scientific encouragement and also enjoying flexible complementary scheme on promotions which is also strictly for those who dedicatedly involve in scientific and technical assignments.
HR of DRDO comes under CCR&D (HR) which consisted of DOP, DHRD, RAC, CEPTAM, DESIDOC, ITM, MILIT, DIAT, DPI and RTI Cell. Presently Dr. G. Malakondiah, Distinguished Scientist is holding the charge of CCR&D (HR) and he was convicted by Madras High Court for imprisonment of three weeks in case of contempt of court this the highest example of ignorance of constitutions provision.
One such example of poor HR planning of DRDO is of Dr. A.K. Singh, Director, Directorate of Personnel, DRDO HQ, New Delhi. Dr. A.K.Singh, Scientist ‘G’ is great Nuclear Medicine scientist of India with five patents granted, fourteen patents filed, one copy right and more than fifty publications in international & national journals.Bio-Data of Dr. A.K. Singh is annexed.
As a matter of fact, despite having so many scientific contributions in area of Nuclear Medicines which is primarily used for treatment of cancer, brain tumours and complex diseases.
Dr. A.K. Singh was basically recruited for projects of DRDO in its New Delhi based unique laboratory working in Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS). He worked in INMAS till the year 2004 but all of sudden he was transferred in DRDO HQ and assigned non-technical clerical assignments like Staff Officer to CCR&D.
Since the year 2004, the great Nuclear Medicine scientist is working non-scientific work like Director, CEPTAM, Director, DHRD and presently DOP. The work assigned to Dr. A.K. Singh is of administrative nature for which DRDO is having it’s another HR cadre known as administrative cadre and from this cadre manpower should be appointed in DOP.
Being a bonafide life science scientist, Dr. A.K. Singh, DOP not having any expertise in field of HR, therefore, he made several wrong decisions due to which DRDO faces lot of embarrassment and bad fame in media, it also affected various officials of DRDO who are facing several court cases in various courts all over India, even 15th October 2014 he received notice from CAT Delhi for his misadventure towards a senior scientist who belong to minority. This created lot of expenditure in term of fees to lawyers, TA/DA to attend court cases and cause of derailing scientific research tempo of DRDO.
Government of India is paying more than Rupees twenty lakhs to Dr. A.K. Singh, DOP for his non-productive and non-scientific work that can be carried out by any of the officer of Joint Director/Additional Director of DRDO from the admin cadre. DRDO wasting poor tax payers money.
Dr. A.K. Sigh is great Nuclear Medicine Scientist which is rare in DRDO. The discipline of Dr. A.K. Singh is from Life Sciences so proper utilization of his potential to posted him in Laboratory/ Establishment of DRDO under Life Sciences Cluster so he can contribute more in the national interest.
There are nine (09) Lab/Estt under Life Sciences Cluster of DRDO spread over all India. These are DEBEL, DIPAS, DIPR, INMAS, DRL, DIBER, DFRL, DIHAR & DRDE. Life sciences scientists are 120+ out of 7500 total DRDO scientist’s strength so proper utilization of these 9 labs can only possible when all life science scientists dedicatedly posted in Life Sciences Cluster of DRDO not in HR related Corporate Directorate. Dr A K Singh qualified life science scientist but he convert his field into technical services in the official records while as per his biodata he is fit for life sciences activities.
Sir you know the maxim “wrong shoe in right leg- “. Similar is the case of Dr. A.K. Singh who has been wrongly posted in HR assignments of DRDO while he is great Nuclear Medicine scientist with international fame scientific contributions in Nuclear Medicine. He is very much required in Lab/Estt of DRDO that are working in specialization of Dr. A.K. Singh like Defence Research Laboratory, Tezpur, Defence Research & Development Establishment, Gwalior, DEBEL, Bangalore and INMAS, New Delhi. Since Dr. A.K. Singh had already worked in INMAS, New Delhi for more than 16 years and his experience was bitter at INMAS thereby he was expelled from projects and scientific assignments at INMAS, New Delhi. Therefore the ,most suitable work places for getting output from his scientific knowledge and experience is DRL, Tezpur, DRDE, Gwalior and DEBEL, Bangalore.
Keeping in view of the facts stated above, to save public revenue and streamline HR of DRDO, it is very much required that scientists of the DRDO having educational qualification and experiences in life sciences should be posted in Lab/Estt under Life Sciences Cluster of DRDO.
Therefore I kindly and earnestly request you to start “operation clean- Swachta Abhiyan” in DRDO by transferring Dr. A.K. Singh, DOP from DRDO HQ to any of the Life Sciences Cluster Lab/Estt like DRL, Tezpur, DRDE, Gwalior or DEBEL, Bangalore so that poor & dirty HR of DRDO may be rich & clean.
To 26th September 2014 Dr D C Pande,Scientist ‘H’, Outstanding Scientist,Chairman 2nd Fact finding Committee constituted for DMSRDE corruptionLRDE, DRDO, Bangalore
Dear Pandey Ji,
As you very well aware the complaints against Dr.Arvind Kumar Saxena, Director, DMSRDE, Kanpur and estimated amount involved in corruption is about 7.5 crore is a tip of ice berg only.
Sh. Avinash Chander (Padam Shree) appointed 1st FFIC under Chairmanship of Dr.S.S. Negi, Scientist ‘H’ as Chairman and Shri Manoj Bali , Scientist ‘G’ and Shri Jagdeep, Scientist ‘F’ as members of FFIC. This FFIC visited DMSRDE, Kanpur on 13-14 March 2014 and submitted FFIC report in a speedy manner in April 2014. This illegal committee submitted fake report as directed by Shri Avinash Chander who patronage Dr. AK Saxena and in lieu of obedience both Dr.SS Negi and Manoj Bali were awarded by big boss.
You are aware that Dr. SS Negi has been appointed as Director, IRDE, Dehradun and Shri Manoj Bali, Scientist ‘G’ is promoted as Scientist ‘H’ superseded 55 senior scientists as his senirity roll no is 71, despite several honest and eligible scientists have been ignored.
You have been appointed as Chairman of 2nd FFIC by big boss with same hope that you also show your loyalty and obedience towards him but your honesty came in path and you still not submitted the report to big boss and not giving clean chit to Dr. AK Saxena who is very close friend of mini DG & DOP Dr. A.K. Singh. Thereby your name is not in today list of promotes for the year 2014 for Distinguished Scientist. May be it will come in supplementary list?
You are fully aware that now Government has been changed and our Prime Minister is not happy with DRDO’s Chalta hai attitude, for FFIC as maximum time for submission report is three months as per DOPT Inquiry Manual, CVC expects preliminary investigation to be completed within three months.
You have visited DMSRDE, Kanpur on 09-10, July 2014 and completed the FFI. Now third month is coming to end soon and Director (Vigilance), MOD has sought Director (Vigilance & Security), DRDO for consolidated report by his letter dated 04 August 2014.
In recent judgment of Madras High Court, Hon’ble justice commented “Scientist have no excuse that they have no administrative knowledge” and thereby two great senior officials have been sentenced three week imprisonment. Although DRDO हाथ क़ानून से भी लम्बे है today they filed SLP in Supreme Court and got time further with the help of poor tax payers money. पर कब तक ?
Don’t worry sir, one chance still there for you with for being DS in case you submit true report solely based on voice of your sole. You remember that “गरीबों की सुनो वो तुम्हारी सुनेगा, इस साल नहीं हुआ लेकिन अगले साल प्रमोशन होगा”.
क्योंकि अगले असेसमेंट तक अविनाश चन्दर जी तो होंगे नहीं मोदी जी २ अक्टूबर को झाड़ू लगा कर भारत को स्वच्छ बनाने का अभियान छेड़ रहे , भाई साहेब अब सफाई तो होगी ही उसको कोई नहीं रोक सकता ।
You submit the report to justice with poor tax payers money so that culprits of corruption in DMSRDE could be punished CVC and higher authorities.
In 1980 when Smt Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister and Sh A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury was union Minister Energy, Coal and irrigation. Sh Choudhury went USA to attend some official program. While returning back from US the stopover was in Frankfurt, in airport VIP lounge some foreign journalists asked Sh Choudhury regarding India’s planes and programs to meet energy requirements. Sudden unexpected situation he advocated the use of Gobar Gas to generate electricity etc. By the time he reaches India Smt Gandhi snatched the energy ministry from Sh Choudhury.
Recently on 25th Union Urban Development Minister Sh M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a two-day international conference on ‘Advanced Avionics’ at the Research Centre Imarat (RCI), DRDO at Hyderabad.
The hidden agenda to invite Sh M. Venkaiah Naidu for such technical issue and which is not related to his ministry and not related to honorable academic interest was to ease the affect of Modi ji’s well derived media created line “ Chalta Hai” attitude of DRDO.
Sh M. Venkaiah Naidu and Sh G. Satheesh Reddy, Director RCI belongs to same District, Nellore and the distance of their villages between only 84 Km.
The line “ Chalta Hai” was seriously taken by DRDO in different means if the DRDO top officials really want to reply the country they should prove and set example by their output. Beside this sh Avinash Chander whiningly repeated said in his speech at seminar that we put video defence minister and Prime Minister Speeches in our website, the “ Chalta Hai” is out of context.
श्री अविनाशचन्दरजी “सचाई से वही लोग डरते है जो गलत होते है बाकि लोग सचाई का सामना गंभीरता से करते है”. खैर आप को इन सब बातो के लिए समय कँहा आप तो बस इन्कॉम्पिटेंट लोगो को प्रमोशन और एक्सटेंसशन और कंसलटेंसी बांटने में ही व्यस्त रहते है या EDK MOU in US जैसे मोके की तलाश में बाकि डीआरडीओ व् देश के लिए कंहा समय है I
Union Urban Development Minister Sh M. Venkaiah Naidu’s inaugural speech at ‘Advanced Avionics’ there was no any avionics technology references but onion, mosquito repellents, mobile water treatment plants, high nutrient value packaged food and Boi-toilts topics were major concern.
The truth of DRDO’s Bio toilets by IIT Kanpur – Bio-toilets developed by the Indian Railways and Defence Research and Development Organization have earned praise from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but IIT scientists say they are neither environment-friendly nor suitable for trains.
IIT-Kanpur and Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) had developed a zero discharge toilet that the railways tried but rejected. Tare said the zero discharge toilet was superior to the bio-toilet project. “The bio-toilet is based on misinformation,” he said. “With every flush, untreated waste is expelled through different levels and finally on the tracks.”
Why the DRDO win race from IIT K because they passed the mechanism of fooling/ provision of motivation to the ministry bureaucrats to the railway officials. The game practice was developed by DRDO TOT division in the time of Maj Gen Umang Kappor.
It is purely money game between railway official and DRDO officials with help of companies who got TOT with DRDO.
The claim for rural area bio toilet technology not new according to the Nordic Ministercounsil in 1982 there were 300,000 composting toilets being used throughout Scandinavia.
DRDO signed MOU and “DRDO to install bio toilet systems in 1000 gram panchayats across the country,” Ramesh told. (UPA Minister Mr Jayaram Ramesh)
“We (the Ministry) will pay for it completely,” the Minister said.
DRDO will install these bio toilet systems in 1000 with their beloved suppliers who got TOT with them at undisclosed premium.
As per DRDE senior scientist the so called Bacteria from Antarctica of DRDO bio-toilets commonly available in cow dung.
As per wikipedia James Bannehr, he took out a patent for the process (No. 1316, dated 28 May 1860). Among his works bearing on the subject were: “The Advantages of the Dry Earth System”, 1868; “The Impossibility overcome: or the Inoffensive, Safe, and Economical Disposal of the Refuse of Towns and Villages”, 1870; “The Dry Earth System”, 1871; “Town Refuse, the Remedy for Local Taxation”, 1872, and “National Health and Wealth promoted by the general adoption of the Dry Earth System”, 1873.
The game is in the name of technology and DRDO brand name just increased the price in multifold and loot the tax payers money.
Inauguration of first fixed bio-toilet at Tata Steel works – The bio-toilet uses an innovative, affordable, durable and eco-friendly construction solution developed by Tata Steel under the brand `Nest-In’ and uses the Nest-In methodology for wall construction and has a bio-digester for solid waste disposal. The unit has two toilets of 27 sq ft , one each for male and female workers. Both the toilets are fitted with electrical and plumbing fittings, etc.
Why not they go for DRDO bio-toilet? if it worth economical viable and Rural Ministry adopted for mass installation, in this connection a scientist from DRDO already complaint to CVC.
THE HINDU NATIONAL » TELANGANA
HYDERABAD, August 25, 2014 Updated: August 25, 2014 23:59 IST
Venkaiah pushes for promotion of DRDO civilian technologies
Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said that his ministry intended to promote bio-digester toilets and other civilian technologies developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in a big way.
Talking to reporters after inaugurating a two-day international conference on ‘Advanced Avionics’ at the Research Centre Imarat (RCI) here on Monday, he said there was a need to take advantage of science and technology to better the lives of common people. He said that although there was no dearth of onion production, there was still a shortage. Technology developed to preserve onions for longer periods can be used to overcome the shortage.
Citing examples of mosquito repellents, mobile water treatment plants, high nutrient value packaged food and medical equipment developed by DRDO, he said these were no ordinary innovations. Observing that the aim was to make the life of common more comfortable, he said that his ministry would OFFER incentives to State governments to implement necessary schemes.
Mr. Naidu said that a new mission in place of JNNRUM was in the advanced stage of finalisation. As part of the nationwide launch of Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhana Yojana, he will inaugurate the scheme in Hyderabad on August 28. Under the scheme, a person having a bank account will become eligible for life insurance worth Rs.1 lakh.
Earlier, inaugurating the conference, he lauded the RCI’s contribution to the development of different missiles. He said, “We have achieved great strides in missile technologies. But we are importing most of our defence equipment. The government wants to reduce this considerably. We want to establish manufacturing facilities in India to cut imports,” the Minister added.
Recalling that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that India should be able to export military hardware to other nations in the next 10 years, he said that a large quality manufacturing base was required to achieve it.
Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Director-General DRDO, Avinash Chander, referred to different technologies developed by RCI for missiles over the years and said whenever India was challenged by the denial of technology, the country rose to the occasion. “You deny, we prosper has been our motto,” he quipped.
V.G. Sekaran, Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems, DRDO, said the field of avionics was witnessing fast-paced technological innovations and wanted scientists to configure systems that would take care of future requirements.
RCI Director, G. Satheesh Reddy, who gave an overview of the work done at RCI in the last 25 years, said the institution was gearing up to undertake futuristic research and make products that would be the first of their kind.
The conference is being organised to mark the conclusion of the silver jubilee celebrations of RCI.
Sh M. Venkaiah Naidu and Sh G. Satheesh Reddy, Director RCI belongs to same District, Nellore and the distance of their villages between only 84 Km.
Appeal to clean DRDO of corrupt and anti-national officials
