Government of India Planned to carry out DRDO Reforms

The Indian government on 13 May 2010 announced reforms in the structure of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). According to the reforms a Defence Technology Commission will be set up to govern the organisation and to hold it accountable for any delays. The defence minister of India will head this commission. The commission will also consist of chiefs of Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and Indian Army as its members. Besides, National Security Advisor, the Cabinet Secretary and senior bureaucrats from other ministries other than defence ministry will be the part of the commission. The government also decided to shift one laboratory from under the control of DRDO to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research and two laboratories to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Rest of the laboratories under DRDO will get more autonomy and will be divided into seven centres of particular technology. The centres will be of 1. naval systems2. aero systems 3.warfare systems and 4.weapon systems 5.electronic systems. Indian government also planned to hire a Human Resource expert who would help DRDO to become more project oriented. It will also help to set up a commercial arm of DRDO to market its newly developed technologies. Moreover, government gave approval for the development of second generation Arjun Tank and Akash, which is surface-to-air missile. Arjun is considered better than T-90 Russian tanks. DRDO director general will be now known as Chairperson who will also preside over the DRDO management council with seven directors general and four CCs R&D and additional financial adviser as members. Centre chiefs will be known as director general.

DRDO will have to create four more posts at the top with the ministry deciding to appoint seven Director-General rank officials as well as four chief controllers (Research and Development)

Earlier the Committee set up in 2007 and chaired by former Science and Technology Secretary P.Rama Rao had suggested in 2008 major overhaul and reforms for DRDO. It had suggested to shifting 11 of the 51 DRDO labs to other civilian bodies but government agreed only for three.

Setting up of a Defence Technology Commission will undermine the authority of DRDO Chief who earlier had the authority to take decision regarding ongoing projects and to set deadline for that. Now the commission will have overall authority relating to matters of DRDO.

Including three armed forces chief would result into making Indian armed forces a part of decision making on development projects meant for them which are undertaken by DRDO.

The action to shift laboratories under DRDO to other civilian bodies like Indian Council for Agricultural Research and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is taken so that DRDO could focus its attention on core military areas.