Context: A committee led by Vijay Raghavan has suggested that a top-level organisation called the Defence Technology Council, led by the Prime Minister, should be responsible for deciding the future direction of India’s defence technology.
About the news:
- An assessment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was conducted by the development board last year through the Vijay Raghavan panel.
- This review stemmed from several delays of projects in the DRDO.
- They were also expressed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence regarding a large number of mission mode projects that failed to meet their deadlines.
- The committee headed by Vijay Raghavan has advised that the DRDO should only focus on its main mandate of research and development for defence needs rather than waste time in productization, production cycles and management of products better suited to the private sector.
Vijay Raghavan Committee:
- The government had constituted a committee in the previous year to evaluate how well the Defence Research and Development Organisation functioned.
- The committee has recently filed its report.
- This was brought about by worries over long lags in several of DRDO’s projects.
- Previously, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence had raised concerns over non-completion of 23 out of 55 mission mode projects.
- The CAG also pointed out that of the projects it audited in 2021, nearly seventy percent did not meet their original deadlines.
- The CAG attributed the above delays to changing design specifications, trials among users and delay in supply orders.
- Multiple extensions for projects run counter to the purpose of mission mode projects.
Vijay Raghavan Committee has provided recommendations:
- At the moment, DRDO engages in all aspects related to its projects – research and development as well as production.
- On the contrary, a committee headed by Vijay Raghavan states that DRDO should primarily concentrate on research and development for defence activities instead of spending time productizing or manufacturing products which have better roles in the private sector.
- The committee raised the point of questioning whether there is a need for DRDO to embark with some technologies such as drone development.
- Rather, it prescribes locating competency from inside India and abroad for various technologies.
- The committee thinks thatDefence Technology Council would play an essential role in finding the right players for some defence technologies.
Defence Technology Council:
- The proposed Council is to be chaired by the Prime Minister with the Defence Minister and National Security Advisor as vice presidents.
- Its executive committee will be headed by the Chief of Defence Staff with representatives from academia, industry and service chiefs including a Principal Scientific Advisor.
- Moreover, a specialised department called the Department of Defence Science Technology and Innovation will be established under the Ministry of Defence.
- This department’s function is to facilitate defence research and development, secretariat for the Defence Technology Council as well labs test and certify.
- It will also attract scientists from DRDO and academia to provide intellectual input and do background research for the Council’s decision-making on technology creation.
Source: Indian Express
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