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NEW DELHI: It seems the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) is using its expertise to invent new ways of spending public money. After spending over Rs 5 crore of its funds in developing a chariot for a Pune temple last year, it is now using money meant for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to buy SUVs.
Faced with a recent government ban on purchase of new cars for official use, the scientific minds of country’s premier defence research organisation came up with an ingenious way to work around it. They purchased several new SUVs, but from funds provided by the government under project Rustom II, which is meant for procuring UAVs.
According to the documents seen by The Sunday Standard, DRDO approved procurement of 16 vehicles under the project “Indigenous Development of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle” code named Rustom II.
As per the documents, Hina A Gokhale, Director (HRD) at DRDO Headquarters, took special concurrence of the Ministry of Finance of Rs 2.23 crore in exemption of the extant ban for the “sensitive project”.
But top scientists of Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE)—DRDO’s biggest laboratory—decided to take the Department for a ride, and procured SUVs in the name of ‘Remote Video Terminal’ (RVT). Five high-end Toyota Innova SUVs were purchased by the ADE purportedly under RVT.
RVT is a modular video and data system that enables war-fighters to remotely downlink live surveillance images and critical geospatial data, directly from joint operations tactical unmanned aircraft systems.
Official sources confirmed the Director General of ADE, Director, and Program Director of Rustom-II project are using these SUVs as their official vehicles and have also installed red beacons on the vehicles.
However, ADE scientists aren’t the only ones involved in such an act. DRDO’s High Energy Material Research Laboratory in Pune also procured SUVs in the name of ‘Mobile Instrument Carrier’ in November 2014. The head of that unit is using it as his staff car.
Officials at DRDO’s Defence Materials & Stores Research & Development Establishment, Kanpur, are found to be using such SUVs as official vehicles and ferrying family members. The procurement of the vehicles was done under the Stealth Technology Execution Programme (STEP) with an objective to develop radar-absorbing materials, camouflage paints and coatings, camouflage of stealth application like camouflaging of tanks, ships, missiles, aircraft and submarine from enemy radars.
Officials in Kanpur are using such SUVs as official vehicles and ferrying family members
When contacted, DRDO spokesperson Dr Ravi Gupta refused to comment.
The Ministry of Finance has put a cap on purchase of new staff cars and is allowing officials only to replace old vehicles from a list of approved models. But since many of the approved cars are no longer manufactured, the government relaxed norms and allowed procurement from other available models.
“It has now been decided that models of cars with net dealer price of up to Rs 4.75 lakh shall be considered for staff car through Directorate General of Supplies & Disposals, Ministry of Commerce,” Finance Ministry stated in an order issued on August 6, 2014.
DRDO has been facing severe flak for repeatedly delaying projects. Numerous DRDO projects such as the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Nag Missile, Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile Project and the Airborne Early Warning and Control System Project have run into major delays, and have cost much higher than originally estimated.
The organisation has been without a head for five months now after the government abruptly terminated the contract of the previous DRDO chief Avinash Chander in November. Since then, defence secretary RK Mathur has been looking after DRDO as an additional charge.
Buying Hot Wheels on the Sly is DRDO's So-Called Flight Plan -The New Indian Express
Faced with a recent government ban on purchase of new cars for official use, the scientific minds of country’s premier defence research organisation came up with an ingenious way to work around it. They purchased several new SUVs, but from funds provided by the government under project Rustom II, which is meant for procuring UAVs.
According to the documents seen by The Sunday Standard, DRDO approved procurement of 16 vehicles under the project “Indigenous Development of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle” code named Rustom II.
As per the documents, Hina A Gokhale, Director (HRD) at DRDO Headquarters, took special concurrence of the Ministry of Finance of Rs 2.23 crore in exemption of the extant ban for the “sensitive project”.
But top scientists of Bangalore-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE)—DRDO’s biggest laboratory—decided to take the Department for a ride, and procured SUVs in the name of ‘Remote Video Terminal’ (RVT). Five high-end Toyota Innova SUVs were purchased by the ADE purportedly under RVT.
RVT is a modular video and data system that enables war-fighters to remotely downlink live surveillance images and critical geospatial data, directly from joint operations tactical unmanned aircraft systems.
Official sources confirmed the Director General of ADE, Director, and Program Director of Rustom-II project are using these SUVs as their official vehicles and have also installed red beacons on the vehicles.
However, ADE scientists aren’t the only ones involved in such an act. DRDO’s High Energy Material Research Laboratory in Pune also procured SUVs in the name of ‘Mobile Instrument Carrier’ in November 2014. The head of that unit is using it as his staff car.
Officials at DRDO’s Defence Materials & Stores Research & Development Establishment, Kanpur, are found to be using such SUVs as official vehicles and ferrying family members. The procurement of the vehicles was done under the Stealth Technology Execution Programme (STEP) with an objective to develop radar-absorbing materials, camouflage paints and coatings, camouflage of stealth application like camouflaging of tanks, ships, missiles, aircraft and submarine from enemy radars.
Officials in Kanpur are using such SUVs as official vehicles and ferrying family members
When contacted, DRDO spokesperson Dr Ravi Gupta refused to comment.
The Ministry of Finance has put a cap on purchase of new staff cars and is allowing officials only to replace old vehicles from a list of approved models. But since many of the approved cars are no longer manufactured, the government relaxed norms and allowed procurement from other available models.
“It has now been decided that models of cars with net dealer price of up to Rs 4.75 lakh shall be considered for staff car through Directorate General of Supplies & Disposals, Ministry of Commerce,” Finance Ministry stated in an order issued on August 6, 2014.
DRDO has been facing severe flak for repeatedly delaying projects. Numerous DRDO projects such as the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Nag Missile, Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile Project and the Airborne Early Warning and Control System Project have run into major delays, and have cost much higher than originally estimated.
The organisation has been without a head for five months now after the government abruptly terminated the contract of the previous DRDO chief Avinash Chander in November. Since then, defence secretary RK Mathur has been looking after DRDO as an additional charge.
Buying Hot Wheels on the Sly is DRDO's So-Called Flight Plan -The New Indian Express
