PUSHED TO THE MARGIN
* DRDO has a total of 26,077 employees
* No Muslim heads its 14 Centres of Excellence
* 14 Technical Corporate DGs have no Muslims
* No Muslims among the CPIOS and CAPIOs
THE vast network of laboratories and establishments of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the R&D wing of the Union Ministry of Defence, has on its rolls less than 100 Muslims among 4000+ scientists and technicians, as per the data in the public domain, according to a new book by Mohammed Abdul Mannan, At The Bottom Of The Ladder: State Of The Indian Muslims – https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0GF1Q9R25. The book quantified Muslim presence in 150 key organisations, including Union ministries, departments, and organisations.
There has been only one Muslim among its 14 Directors General (1948–2015) and Chairpersons since 2015 – Dr A P J Abdul Kalam 1992–1999). He later became the President of India. There are no Muslims among the heads of its 14 Centres of Excellence, as is the case with heads of 10 other institutions. There are no Muslims among the 14 DGs (Technical and Corporate) and the CPIOS and CAPIOs under the DRDO.
DRDO is on a mission to achieve self-reliance in critical defence technologies and systems, while equipping our armed forces with state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment in accordance with requirements laid down by the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Its pursuit of self-reliance led to the successful indigenous development and production of strategic systems and platforms like Agni and Prithvi series of missiles, light combat aircraft, Tejas, multi-barrel rocket launcher, Pinaka, air defence system, Akash, and a wide range of radars and electronic warfare systems.
India’s largest and most diverse research organisation has on its registers about 5,000 scientists and about 25,000 subordinate scientific, technical, and supporting personnel. It was formed in 1958 through the amalgamation of the Defence Science Organisation (DSO), Technical Development Establishment (TDEs) of the Indian Army, and the Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTDP).
It has grown multi-directionally in terms of the variety of subject disciplines, the number of laboratories, and achievements. Broadly organised into seven technology clusters, the DRDO, according to information on its website, “has grown into a network of 41 laboratories and five Young Scientist Laboratories (YSLs).”
They are engaged in developing defence technologies covering aeronautics, armaments, electronics, combat vehicles, engineering systems, instrumentation, advanced computing and simulation, special materials, naval systems, life sciences, training, and information systems. It is involved in the development of missiles, radars, and Light Combat Aircraft (LCAs). Its scientists and officials belong to the Defence Research and Development Service (DRDS), a part of the Group ‘A’ Civil Services. The scientists are gazetted (Group A) defence-civilian officers under the Union Ministry of Defence, and are responsible for developing new technologies and military hardware for the defence and security forces. DRDS, formed in 1979, currently has a cadre strength of 7,256.
A separate Department of Defence Research and Development emerged in 1980, which later on administered the DRDO and its laboratories/establishments. As a rule, a senior DRDS scientist becomes the DRDO’s Director General, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, and ex officio Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development. At the DRDO’s 67th Foundation Day, officials disclosed that 73 projects worth Rs 275 crore were sanctioned in 2024 for engaging 266 researchers and 10 new academic institutes.
As many as 1,950 Transfer of Technologies on DRDO-developed systems were handed over to Indian industries, and 256 Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology were inked in 2024. The DRDO’s ‘acceptance of necessity’ accorded for projects valued at Rs 1.10 lakh crore in 2024, includes Air Defence Tactical Control Radar (ADTCR), Air Defence Fire Control Radar (ADFCR), Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile System (LR-LACM), and Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft (MRMR) for the Indian Navy.
Also on the list is the Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMMA) for the Indian Coast Guard, Anti-Tank Influence Mine PRACHAND, Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC), Area Denial Munition for ‘Pinaka’ Rocket System, and Software Defined Radio – Tactical, Electro Optical Fire Control system, and CBRN Water Purification System Mk-II.
Several DRDO systems have either completed or are in the final stages of user evaluation or development trials. The government has also okayed two flagship programmes – Full Scale Engineering Development (FSED) of Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and the setting up of a Missile Test Range in Andhra Pradesh. Currently, 80 projects are ongoing, with nine projects awarded to industries/MSME/start-ups in 2024.
A green propulsion system has been developed under the TDF scheme and has been successfully demonstrated in orbit functionality on a payload launched by the PSLV C-58 mission. Also, an AI tool that integrates face recognition with immutable physiological parameters such as gait and skeleton has been developed. The organisation had been granted 201+ patents, and it filed more than 226 patents in 2024. The 15 DRDO Industry Academia Centres of Excellence are steering the translational research activities in 65 identified research verticals.
According to India’s Open Data Platform, DRDO has a total of 26,077 employees, out of which 7,641 are in DRDS, 9,929 in DRTC, and 8,507 in Administration and Allied Cadre. DRDO has organised its human resources into three cadres – Defence Research and Development Services (DRDS), Defence Research Technical Cadre (DRTC), and Admin and Allied Cadre. Every year, the Recruitment and Assessment Centre (RAC) recruits Scientists in DRDS mostly at entry level (Scientist B) through the Scientist Entry Test (SET).
However, depending on the requirements in specialised areas of R&D, a few are also recruited directly in higher grades (Scientist C to Scientist H) through campus interviews, as well as other induction modes such as Talent Search Scheme (NRIs), Registration of Students with Scholastic Aptitude (ROSSA). Talents are also tapped by conducting campus interviews in institutes of repute like IITs, NITs, IISc, ISM Dhanbad, and Central universities. Direct recruitment through lateral induction is also done in higher grades.
The gargantuan organisation has been criticised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) many times for delayed projects, cost overruns, sub-standard products and product costs higher than the same products available off-the-shelf in the open market, according to Lt Gen P C Katoch (Retd), a former Director-General of Information Systems and a Special Forces veteran at the Indian Army. Across the 19 directors, which include IT and Cybersecurity, Extramural Research, and Intellectual Property Rights, there are five Muslims among 330 officials, technicians, and experts. Among them are two scientists. Across the centres, cells and groups, only one is a Muslim out of a total of 96 officials. Among the 55 officials at labs and establishments, there are two Muslims.
To read and obtain more data, please visit:
At the Bottom of the Ladder: State of the Indian Muslims –https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0GF1Q9R25
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