Defence upgrade roadmap: Apex body led by Prime Minister, MoD sci-tech unit
Will have Defence Minister, NSA, service chiefs, members from academia, industry
4 min read
The nine-member VijayRaghavan panel was set up by the government last year to review the functioning of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is learned to have submitted its report this month. (Express Photo)A top body chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Defence Minister and the National Security Advisor as its Vice Presidents, should determine the country’s defence technology roadmap and decide on major projects and their execution, an expert committee spearheaded by the former principal scientific advisor, Prof K Vijay Raghavan, is learned to have told the government.
This top body, called the Defence Technology Council by the VijayRaghavan committee, is proposed to have an executive committee chaired by the Chief of Defence Staff. The Principal Scientific Advisor, along with the three service chiefs and their vice chiefs, will also be its members.
Furthermore, it will include representation from academia and industry, with two members from each sector, The Indian Express has learned.
The nine-member VijayRaghavan panel was set up by the government last year to review the functioning of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is learned to have submitted its report this month.
The government’s decision to review the functioning of DRDO comes against the backdrop of several of its projects suffering from huge delays. Just last year, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, in its report presented on December 20, had expressed concerns that 23 of its 55 mission mode projects could not be completed in time.
A year before, in December 2022, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), in its report tabled in Parliament, had flagged that 119 (or 67%) of the 178 projects scrutinised by it had failed to adhere to their initially proposed timelines.
“The practice of seeking multiple extensions defeats the very purpose of projects taken under
Mission Mode category,” the CAG report had stated, adding these extensions were primarily sought due to factors like persistent alterations in design specifications, delays in completing user trials, and in placing supply orders.
In its report, sources said, the VijayRaghavan committee has observed that the DRDO should focus on its original goal of research and development for defence and refrain from involving itself in productization, production cycles, and product management, tasks that are more suitable for the private sector. At present, DRDO remains engaged in all aspects, from research to development to production, in its projects.
More R&D in DRDO
One key point flagged by the panel is that DRDO should focus on its initial mandate, research and development, rather than spread itself thin, as it does now, by getting involved in productisation, product management.
“Furthermore, there are numerous technologies that DRDO doesn’t necessarily need to get into. For example, why should DRDO engage in drone development? There is a necessity to identify expertise within India and internationally for various technologies,” said a source. “Every defence solution to a problem doesn’t have to only come from DRDO.”
This is precisely where the committee believes the Defence Technology Council headed by the Prime Minister would play a pivotal role in identifying the right players for specific defence technologies.
The panel has also suggested the creation of a separate department under the Defence Ministry — the Department of Defence Science, Technology, and Innovation. This department, proposed to be headed by a technocrat, will not only promote defence research and development in the academic and start-up ecosystem but also serve as the secretariat for the Defence Tech Council, chaired by the Prime Minister.
As the DTC secretariat, this department will draw scientists from DRDO and academia, building a repository of knowledge on production expertise and conducting background research for the DTC, hence aiding its decisions on technology production. Moreover, the department will operate labs for testing and certification, a function also performed by DRDO.
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