Ajai Shukla | New Delhi May 4, 2015 Last Updated at 00:38 IST – Business Standard
A sense of drift is palpable within the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), which has been without a leader for three months since the ouster of its widely respected chief, Avinash Chander, on January 31.
On that day, Defence Secretary R K Mathur was given additional charge of Chander’s post of Secretary, Defence R&D, for three months. That period expired on Thursday.
Mathur had held charge of only one of the three posts that Chander occupied – that of Secretary Defence R&D. The other two posts – Director General, DRDO, and Scientific Advisor to the Raksha Mantri – have lain vacant for three months.
The defence ministry is not alone in having key positions without incumbents. There has been no Chief Information Commissioner since August 22, and no Chief Vigilance Commissioner since September 28.
Without a chief, there are problems in coordinating between the DRDO’s seven technology clusters, each relating to a specific subject – e.g. aeronautics, missiles or naval systems. While cluster heads. called directors general, can function independently within their clusters, major development projects involve several clusters.
Among the programmes suffering from this lack of leadership is the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project. While the DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Agency oversees the Tejas project, it has no authority over the four technology clusters that feed into the LCA project. That coordination was always facilitated by the DRDO chief, who personally oversaw the LCA programme.
Another problem, say senior DRDO scientists, is professional insecurity caused by Chander’s unceremonious removal. On November 28, the defence ministry had granted him an 18-month service extension to head the DRDO till May 31, 2016. Forty-five days later, that extension was withdrawn.
The insecurity is most obvious among junior scientists, most of whom looked to Chander as an icon of the DRDO’s successful missile programme. “With such an accomplished scientist removed so arbitrarily, what job security do we have?” wonders a young scientist bitterly. Nor is there any clarity about who might succeed Chander. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had said while removing Chander, he wanted someone good from the DRDO who has the urge for development. Parrikar also stated he wanted a younger scientist to head DRDO.With almost all the DRDO’s top scientists already on extension, or nearing the retirement age of 60, 11 of the DRDO’s 12 top scientists might soon retire.
Of these 12 “distinguished scientists”, the DRDO’s top rank, equivalent to a lieutenant general, six have already crossed 60 years and are serving on extensions. Another five are 59 years of age, knocking on the doors of retirement.
The only candidate who fits Parrikar’s twin conditions – being from the DRDO, and also young – is Satheesh Reddy, the highly regarded chief of Research Centre Imarat, a missile technology laboratory outside Hyderabad. Reddy is just 52 years old.
Even so, MoD sources do not rule out bringing in an outsider, possibly from the Atomic Energy Agency, to head the DRDO.
There is also speculation that the three hats the DRDO chief traditionally wore might be split into two or more posts. Opinion on this is divided. The Rama Rao Committee, which proposed reorganising the DRDO, recommended the three posts remain vested in a single person. The subsequent Naresh Chandra Committee recommended separation, though not trifurcation.
The departments of space and atomic energy, which are often held up as models the DRDO could emulate, centralise powers in a single chief. The chairman of the Space Commission also heads the Indian Space Research Organisation, while simultaneously advising the prime minister on space matters.
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
With almost all the DRDO’s top scientists already on extension, or nearing the retirement age of 60, 11 of the DRDO’s 12 top scientists might soon retire.
