Antony asks DRDO to share research projects with private agencies

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of delay in providing critical technologies to armed forces, Defence Minister A K Antony today asked DRDO to focus on major programmes and give away the low-end research projects to the private sector.

"In order to be able to focus the DRDO's energy on mission mode projects, the task of carrying out low-end research must be given away to the private sector and the industries," he said at a meeting of the Consultative Committee of his ministry.

Antony said the premier research agency was spending nearly 80 per cent of its budget on mission mode projects. These projects includes the missile programmes and developing heavy equipment for the armed forces.

Several of DRDO projects such as the MBT Arjun, LCA Tejas, Nag anti-tank missile have seen several time and cost overruns.

The Minister also informed the meeting that DRDO has already implemented major recommendations of Rama Rao Committee.

"Based on these recommendations seven technology clusters have been created in the new organisational set-up of DRDO at different locations, each headed by an empowered Director General," he said.

The meeting also congratulated the DRDO for the Initial Operational Clearance-II for the LCA, which is scheduled tomorrow at Bangalore.

The meeting was attended among others by Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh, Defence Secretary RK Mathur, DRDO chief Avinash Chander and Secretary (Defence Production) GC Pati.