Government plans to end dual role for DRDO chief

NEW DELHI: The government plans to bifurcate the post of scientific advisor to the defence minister-cum-DRDO chief, held by one person till now, in a bid to reform the country's defence R&D establishment after brusquely sacking missile scientist Avinash Chander on Tuesday.

The move will lead to the appointment of a secretary (defence R&D), who will also double up as the scientific advisor to the defence minister, and a DRDO chief. "There should be separate persons for these two roles. It will have to be cleared by the Cabinet," a top official said.

Both the positions are currently held by Chander, who will demit office on January 31, almost 16 months before his tenure approved by the previous UPA regime was to end. Till the new appointments are made, the senior-most cluster head in DRDO, director-general of aeronautical systems K Tamilmani, will be in charge from February 1.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar once again reiterated that Chander, 64, was sacked since the government wants a DRDO chief from "a slightly younger generation" who is not on contract or extension. But Chander was not given any advance warning by the government, and learnt of his dismissal from the media.

As reported by TOI earlier, five of the seven cluster heads or DGs in DRDO are on their first or second extension after retirement. Though DRDO scientists retire at 60, they can be given two two-year extensions under extraordinary circumstances. But Chander, who retired in November last year on turning 64, was slated to continue as DRDO chief till May 2016 on contract, as per the order passed by the UPA regime in May 2013.

Incidentally, several committees over the years have criticised the fact that the DRDO chief wears so many hats, as well as its propensity to make everything from juices, dental implants and mosquito repellents to fighters, tanks and nuclear missiles.

The Rama Rao Committee in 2008 had held that DRDO should focus only on 8-10 "critical technologies'' of "strategic importance''. But many of its recommendations are yet to be properly implemented. For instance, a new Defence Technology Commission as well as a private limited company with Rs 2 crore as seed capital to act as DRDO's commercial arm are yet to take any shape.