New Delhi: The government has appointed Samir V. Kamat as the new chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The Appointments Committee of the cabinet on August 25, 2022 appointed Dr Samir V. Kamat as Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development and Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Incumbent DRDO Chairman Dr G. Satheesh Reddy has been appointed as Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister as he completed his four-year tenure.

“Appointment of Dr Samir V. Kamat, Distinguished Scientist and Director General, Naval Systems & Materials as Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO from the date of his assumption of charge till he attains the age of 60 years or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet said in its statement.

Kamat, who was heading the Naval Systems & Materials, Vishakhapatnam, will serve till the age of 60. Kamat is a distinguished scientist, an engineering graduate in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1985 and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University, USA in 1988, specialising in the area of mechanical behaviour of materials.

As the Prime Minister has been reviewing the performance of the organisation, it is expected that the new appointment will help in the new reforms like making defence research more industry-friendly and helping the smaller and medium industries to grow in manufacturing.