What goes down

On the face of it, the two failed launches 8212; ISRO8217;s Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle and DRDO8217;s Agni III missile 8212; might look the same. Yet the former is an exception to a pattern of success while the latter exposes an increasingly directionless programme. We can confidently expect ISRO to bounce back from Monday8217;s failure; DRDO8217;s missile programme, however, demands an overhaul. The different assessment of their futures is rooted in the different organisational cultures. Catering to multiple users, operating on commercial principles and relentlessly leveraging its capabilities in a globalising space industry, ISRO has been one of the most successful scientific institutions the country.

DRDO8217;s culture is the opposite. With the national flag wrapped around it, and the inevitable imperatives of secrecy, it has never been accountable to any one. The gap between DRDO8217;s tall talk 8212; it even claims the capacity to design and develop missile defence systems that America is struggling with 8212; and actual delivery has been huge. Twenty years after the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme was launched, DRDO does not have much to show for itself. It has flogged the primitive Prithvi missile and tinkered with the Agni for years. With hardly a few tests, DRDO had declared the Agni II operational. Despite Monday8217;s failure, ISRO8217;s potential as a player in the world satellite launch market remains intact.

Equally unquestionable is the reality that DRDO8217;s missile programme is way behind that of Pakistan and even North Korea. Forget for a moment, rapidly expanding Chinese missile capabilities. The nation has recently witnessed a big debate on India8217;s nuclear power and weapons programmes. But few questions have been asked of the Indian missile programme. It is no secret that the missile programme has remained the weakest link of India8217;s nuclear deterrent capability. To say that Indian missile programme is indigenous can no longer serve as an excuse. The time has come for the government to order an independent audit of DRDO8217;s missile programme. Even more important, the government needs to offer direction and a doctrine on future missile needs and uses. That is too important to be left to DRDO itself.