New Delhi: A Parliamentary Committee has stressed on the need for adequate funding for Research & Development (R&D) activities of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) especially in view of its being an imminent component of progress in country’s defence, boost indigenisation efforts of the Government as also enhancing the export potential of the country.

In its 58-page report tabled in Parliament, the 31-member Committee reiterated its earlier recommendation that all efforts may be made by the Ministry to ensure that provision of adequate funds to DRDO is made in additional and supplementary grants stage.

The Committee chaired by BJP member and former Minister Jual Oram pointed out the delay in increasing the manpower in DRDO adequately as well as the low percentage of scientists in relation to the total strength in the organisation. The Committee are happy to note that approval of 436 posts have been accorded as well as creation of two posts viz. Chief Executive and Chief Construction Engineer are in the pipeline.

However, the Parliamentary Committee has not been clearly apprised of the progress made in the recommendation of Ministry of Finance for increasing manpower as well as the reasons for such a low percentage of scientists vis-a-vis the total strength of DRDO. The issue of augmentation of manpower especially of scientists in DRDO is of vital importance given that DRDO has been managing with same authorisation in spite of more than six fold increase in outlay from IX to XIII plan. The Committee desired that more effective measures may be taken by the Ministry for augmentation of manpower in DRDO under intimation to the Committee.

“The issue of augmentation of manpower especially of scientists in the Defence Research and Development Organisation is of vital importance given that DRDO has been managing with same authorisation in spite of more than six-fold increase in outlay from 9th to 13th plan,” said the committee’s report.

Presently, the authorised strength of scientists in DRDO is 7,353 while their existing strength 7,068, the report noted.

“The percentage of scientists in DRDO is 30 per cent of the total strength of DRDO… The committee note that the current manpower is grossly insufficient for committed R&D projects,” it said.

The DRDO works under the Ministry of Defence (MoD) only.

The Parliamentary panel said more effective measures should be taken by the Defence Ministry to augment the workforce in the DRDO.

The Committee recommended that efforts may be intensified to ensure better collaboration between the public and private sector for improved results and given the sensitive nature of this work, due monitoring mechanism need to be developed to ensure that no leakage of data takes place regarding products being developed.

It also recommend that a regular impact assessment mechanism should be developed to assess the overall impact of the enhanced involvement of private sector in the research related activities of DRDO.

The Parliamentary panel pointed out about the need for a proper monitoring mechanism and also recommended for a regular impact assessment mechanism to assess the overall impact of the enhanced involvement of private sector in the research related activities of DRDO. The Ministry in its reply stated that progress has been made and necessary confidentiality measures are being taken in this regard but it has not been mentioned in the reply about the action taken on the recommendation relating to the monitoring and impact assessment mechanism of the Committee.

It would like to re-emphasise especially owing to the extremely sensitive nature of this work, the introduction of a monitoring and regular impact assessment mechanism for a proper assessment of the involvement of private sector in the research related activities of DRDO. The action taken in this regard may be intimated to the Committee.