IT Examiner October 21, 2008
Indian DRDO suffers from chronic brain drain
By Aharon Etengoff
India's prestigious Defence Research and Development Organisation is reportedly suffering from chronic brain drain.
At least 785 defence scientists have resigned from the government entity over the last three years, forcing New Delhi to offer a package of perks in a desperate effort to stop the mass exodus.
"A number of incentives were recommended by the Central Pay Commission, which have been accepted and implemented by the government," said defence minister A K Antony.
Dsigruntled scientists will now be encouraged to attend conferences, seminars and training courses.
"DRDO is providing study leaves to scientists for acquiring higher qualifications like PhDs and masters degrees. Scientists are sponsored to go and attend conferences and seminars and for long term courses for research both within and outside the country," added Antony.
As IT Examiner previously reported, the crowded Indian defence market has led numerous officials to express concern over a perceived lack of indigenous self-reliance. To be sure, Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Fali Homi Major recently recommended that New Delhi reduce its dependency on aerospace imports by embarking on a "strategic shift [that] will offer the required thrust towards building skills and infrastructure for engineering and manufacturing."
As such, the MoD has embarked on a number of new defence projects designed to reduce India's dependence on foreign imports. For example, the DRDO is currently developing a new generation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to deploy laser target designators (LTDs) deep inside enemy territory.
"We are planning to base LTDs on UAVs to cut down the risk of our troops getting caught inside enemy territory while illuminating targets for attack and save the cost of sending another aircraft for doing the task," explained a senior Defence Ministry official.
In addition, the IAF recently tested an upgraded version of the Lakshya drone. The micro-light pilotless target aircraft was fitted with an advanced digitally controlled engine and successfully flown from the Integrated Test Range in Balasore. The indigenously-designed Lakshya was developed by the DRDO and inducted into the IAF in 2000. According to GlobalSecurity, the Lakshya is utilised for the training of gun/missile crews and air defence pilots.
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