Kumar Managalam urges RAW to be innovative in talent search

Organisations needed to move beyond the conventional approaches when it came to tapping talent, he pointed out.

Describing the 8220;scramble for talent8221; as a worldwide phenomenon, he said India had the advantage of being in a demographic 8220;sweet spot8221;. But it was not just about the number of people. 8220;Rather, it8217;s about the quality and depth of talent. And that is where alarm bells are already ringing,8221; he said. He described the talent shortage in India as 8220;severe8221;. 8220;I would suppose that talent is even more critical for a super-specialised organisation such as the RAW,8221; Birla noted.

8220;Earlier an institution like RAW would perhaps focus on nations which were distinctly hostile. Today, the enemy could be anywhere. Conventional armies have been replaced by terrorist outfits and sophisticated organisational forms,8221; he noted.

Birla also favoured complete privatisation education in India to solve the acute talent crunch being faced by the government and corporates.

National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, and other top intelligence officials attended the lecture.