The first-ever external review report of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has recommended a massive restructuring of the 50-year-old body to make it more efficient and ensure greater private sector participation in defence research.The report — prepared by an independent committee of experts headed by P Rama Rao, former secretary, Department of Science & Technology, and at present ISRO’s Dr Brahm Prakash Distinguished Professor — recommends a “lean, mean and effective” reorganisation of the body to keep it relevant to the current requirements of the armed forces.It also lays emphasis on a structured and time-bound approach to development projects and the need of involving the private sector at the inception stage itself. While the report has not been made public—it was submitted to the Defence Minister on Wednesday—it contains a detailed roadmap for administrative, technological and financial reforms of the research body.The Defence Ministry will study the recommendations in detail before bringing them before the Cabinet for approval and implementation. The report also contains a detailed review of all 52 DRDO laboratories and presents a roadmap for a thorough restructuring.Unlike the research body, which is constantly criticised by the defence forces for massive delays, the expert committee has submitted its report within the stipulated time frame, one year after it was commissioned in February 2007. However, the team of experts has been asked to keep a tight lid on the report till the ministry reviews the recommendations.The external review was set up specifically to review the functioning of DRDO as per recommendations of the Vijay Kelkar Committee to “examine the effectiveness of R&D support provided vis-à-vis in-house research facilities with DRDO and to ensure effective participation of the private sector in defence research”.The report spells out ways to modernise administrative, personnel and financial systems for speedier implementation of projects, improve coordination with the academia, attract high quality manpower to the organisation, maximise utilisation of private industry, rope in selected NRIs and foreign consultants for military R&D and ensure proper utilisation of funds coming into the country through the defence offsets policy. Members of the committee include former adviser A K Ghosh, former HAL chairman C G Krishnadas Nair, CII’s Industry Council chairman Satish K Kaura, Jadavpur University’s Prof Tapan Kumar Ghoshal, former Chief of Materials, Naval Headquarters Vice-Admiral P Jaitly, (Retd), Former Vice-Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ajit Bhavnani and Lt Gen C S Chima (Retd).
