Perhaps due to fallout of the economic slowdown, the defence research establishment has at least one reason to smile.
Attrition in its 7,000-strong scientific pool has swung to zero per cent, down from an average 18 per cent attrition in 2006 and 2007.
“Fortunately, there has been hardly any attrition in the last two years. It used to be around 18 per cent three years ago,” said Dr Prahlada, Chief Controller-R&D (SI), Defence Research & Development Organisation.
IIT-ians join
“Not just that, this year we got 20 BTechs from IITs for the first time. Earlier, it was difficult for us to get even five IIT-ians,” he said at a news conference here to announce a competition for colleges.
One obvious reason for the rush towards secure public labs is the global slowdown and uncertain job situation in the IT sector – which has mainly eaten into the brain pool of DRDO and such organisations.
Dr Prahlada said DRDO’s 51 labs were now ever more attractive as they offered quality work in missile and armament technologies, unfettered scientific interactions, a sizeable pay revision recently and faster promotions. Some more incentives could be in the offing.
An entry-level scientist B, for example, gets a gross monthly pay of Rs 35,000 against the Rs 21,500 before 2009, (told ya!
) Dr Prahlada told Business Line.
Keen To Return
In addition to this,
some 100 overseas Indians with MS and PhDs were keen to work with the labs. Nearly 50 mid-level scientists who had quit the defence labs also wanted to return and DRDO was trying to fit them suitably after tests.
Each year, 500 to 600 scientists are recruited through a common science entry test or campus recruitments. Nearly 50,000 took the exam. (acceptance rate 1 in 100)
“The difference this year was that we got good quality recruits from IITs and NITs,” he said.
The defence R&D budget is also expected to increase 10 per cent over last year’s Rs 6,000 crore. The labs are developing technologies ranging from aeronautics, armaments, avionics, electronics, software, life sciences, materials, missiles and combat vehicles for the armed forces.
In 10 years, the Government of India plans to spend Rs 2,00,000 crore ($40 bil) on programmes to develop, manufacture, upgrade or acquire aeronautical products and technologies required for civil and military use.
This spanned the defence labs, the National Aerospace Labs under the CSIR; Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd; launch vehicles of ISRO; unmanned air vehicles and rockets.
The amount would be spent through the public and private sector industries, Government labs and universities. All this, he said, made it the golden period in the country for science and technology, defence, space and atomic energy.
Student Model Trials
DRDO has identified 20 technology challenges that it wants to bridge by tapping talent in universities and industry. On Tuesday it will evaluate flight trials of remote-controlled airborne surveillance systems developed by 10 college teams from across the country.
The 10 competing teams were chosen from out of nearly 270 teams that submitted their approach paper last year, the golden jubilee year of DRDO
The teams will demonstrate their technologies at the DRDO testing range at Veerapura in Kolar, some 80 km from Bangalore.
The first and second best teams will be given cash prizes of Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively. DRDO will help to patent any innovation and try to take it forward for low-intensity conflict applications.
“We gave them the design goals, altitude and imagery details for a ‘deployable low-cost, outdoor surveillance system’.
DRDO is trying to nurture creativity and innovation among students,” Dr Prahlada said.
The teams are from IIT-Madras, NITs of Surathkal and Silchar; Madras Institute of Technology, Anna University; Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Thandalam; Delhi College of Engineering Amity School of Engineering & Technology, Noida; Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, Mumbai, and a college each from Bareilly and Patiala.
The Hindu Business Line : Quality recruits, near zero attrition at DRDO
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