Revamping DRDO | K Vijay Raghavan Committee

• Contexrt (IE I IT): The K. Vijay Raghavan committee to revamp the DRDO has submitted its report.
• The committee had participation from industry, services, academia and the DRDO.
• The GoI has given the DRDO three months to review and share feedback before implementing the recommendations in a phased manner.
• The committee’s mandate was to
  1. Redirect DRDO’s focus towards developing high-end technologies for future warfare.
  2. Find ways to attract and retain high-quality manpower.
  3. Developing a system of project-based workforce through incentives and disincentives, with strict performance accountability.

Need to review the functioning of DRDO

• Several DRDO projects are suffering from massive delays.
  • The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence expressed concerns that 23 of its 55 mission mode projects could not be completed in time.
  • The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had flagged that 119 (or 67%) of the 178 projects scrutinised by it had failed to adhere to their initially proposed timelines.
  • CAG also commented, “The practice of seeking multiple extensions defeats the purpose of projects taken under the Mission Mode category.”
• The DRDO has also often been criticised for cost overruns.

Recommendations of the Committee

1. Defence Technology Council (DTC)

• A top body (DTC) should determine the country’s defence technology roadmap and decide on major projects and their execution.
• The proposed DTC will have an Executive Committee.
• The proposed DTC will have an Expert Committee headed by a Principal Scientific Advisor.

Composition of DTC

1. Chairman: Prime Minister,
2. Vice Presidents: Defence Minister & National Security Advisor.
3. It will also include representation from academia and industry, with two members from each sector.

Composition Of Executive Committee

1. Chairman: Chief of Defence Staff.
2. Other Members:
   1. The Principal Scientific Advisor,
   2. The Three service chiefs and
   3. Their vice chiefs.      

2. Department of Defence Science, Technology, and Innovation.

• A separate department under the Defence Ministry to be created – The Department of Defence Science, Technology, and Innovation.
• This department will serve as the secretariat for the DTC.
• The department will aid DTC’s decisions on technology production.
• As the DTC secretariat, it will draw scientists from DRDO and academia, building a repository of knowledge on production expertise and conducting background research for the DTC.
• It is proposed that a Technocrat head the department.
• It will
  • Promote defence research and development in the academic and start-up ecosystem.
  • Operate labs for testing and certification, a function also performed by DRDO.

3. Other Recommendations

• Research Focus: DRDO should concentrate exclusively on research and development, excluding prototype development and technology demonstrations.
  • At present, DRDO remains engaged in all aspects of its projects, from research to development to production.
• Private Sector Engagement: Production and further development responsibilities are recommended to be transferred to selected private entities and public sector undertakings.
• Laboratory Consolidation: Reduce DRDO labs from 40 to approx. ten national-level facilities.
• Testing Facilities: To establish five national test facilities, open for private sector use, to test their weapon systems.
• Organizational Changes: Possible bifurcation of the secretary (research and development) role in the Ministry of Defence.
• PMO Oversight: The PMO is expected to take a more active role in overseeing key strategic projects, indicating heightened scrutiny of DRDO’s performance.

DARPA model

• GoI intends to follow the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) model of the USA for the DRDO.
• DARPA works on the principle that the US should be ”the initiator and not the victim of strategic technological surprises“.
• DARPA is merely a funding agency with no laboratories or research staff.
• All research is conducted through contracts with universities, industry, and govt. R&D institutions.
• Both DARPA and DRDO were instituted in 1958.

DRDO

• DRDO works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence, GoI.
• It is India’s largest research organisation.
• Headquarters: New Delhi.
• It is working to establish a world-class science and technology base for India.
• It equips defence services with internationally competitive systems and solutions.
• It was instituted by combining three major defence organisations, namely:
  1. Defence Science Organisation (DSO)
  2. Defence Technical Development Establishment (DTDE)
  3. Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTDP)
• DRDO’s first project for the Indian military was surface-to-air missiles (SAM), Project Indigo.