‘Mission Mode’ projects: Strengthening processes to ensure there are no delays, says DRDO chief

During media interaction, Kamat was asked about the data tabled by the Ministry of Defence in Rajya Sabha in February that out of 55 Mission Mode projects of the organisation, 23 were delayed. “Every project has a probable date of completion. Because these are Research and Development projects, there are some technical challenges that arise, which make us go through some iterations. During testing and evaluation too, some issues come up. And so these projects get delayed. It is a continuous process. We are looking at why these projects get delayed and we are strengthening our processes to ensure that in the future it does not happen,” he said.

A Mission Mode project of the DRDO refers to a focused and time-bound development undertaken to achieve specific goals and objectives in the field of defence and technology. Answering a question by Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Kumat Bhatt had told the Upper House in February that among steps taken to overcome such delays were: mandatory focus on pre-project activity, increased frequency of project reviews, increased involvement of services and production partners during development process, revision in delegation of financial powers for projects and procurements, introduction of development cum production partner, project monitoring with milestone-based review process and directives for project formulation and management.

During the media interaction, Kamat was asked about the high-powered committee set up by the government in August for the overhaul of the DRDO. He said, “The committee is currently visiting various DRDO laboratories. We will only know once the committee gives its report.”

During his address to the delegates at the workshop, Kamat said, “We have to make sure that we do not miss the bus on advances that are happening in the field of high energy materials. Green propellants and green explosives are going to be critical as we move ahead because environmental concerns are also increasing. So in addition to performance, we have to look at green chemistries. We have to not only look at new compositions but also better processing methods. The disposal of the explosives after their life is over will also be a critical area. We will also have to accelerate the development of these high energy materials because we can’t take 10 to 15 years as we were taking earlier for this. And the only way to accelerate is through collaboration.”