The Hindu : National : Attrition no longer a worry for DRDO

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Attrition no longer a worry for DRDO

Staff Reporter

Young scientists and engineers show more interest in the organisation

Close to 100 non-resident Indians have applied
DRDO hires 600 scientists and engineers annually

Bangalore: Plagued by attrition rates as high as 17 per cent until recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has reasons to cheer now.

Attrition has come down to nil across its centres, and in fact young scientists and engineers are showing more interest in the defence organisation than ever before, Prahlada, Chief Controller Research and Development (Service Interaction), DRDO, told reporters on Saturday.

He said close to 100 non-resident Indians (NRIs) had applied to the organisation and 50 middle-level scientists who had left the DRDO had expressed interest in returning. This year, 20 B.Tech graduates from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) joined the DRDO. The organisation hires 600 scientists and engineers annually.

There were four factors responsible for this trend, Dr. Prahlada said: the slump in the job market triggered by recession; the opening of new areas for research and development at the DRDO; improvement in salary and prospects of promotions following the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations and the conducive work environment at the DRDO.

The Centre will invest Rs. 2,00,000 crore for research and development in the defence sector over the next 10 years, he said, adding that the annual budget allocation for the department, which was Rs. 6,000 crore this year, was likely to be increased by 10 per cent in 2010-11.

Dr. Prahlada said the DRDO “is thinking of the possibility” of working together with the National Security Guard to combat terrorism. For six months now, the government was looking at the role of technology in tackling terror strikes, he added. “The idea is to deploy low-cost, easily portable and quick manufacturing solutions all over the country to deal with low intensity conflicts and terror attacks.”

Competition

The final round of a national competition that began last year for engineering students “to drive and motivate their innovation potential in designing systems and products” will be held on June 9. Ten qualifying teams will demonstrate their systems at the DRDO Test Range in Kolar district.

Students were required to conceive, design and develop a prototype of a “low cost outdoor surveillance system,” or a lightweight system in which a sensor is airborne and carries out surveillance. The first and second teams will be awarded Rs. 3 lakh and Rs. 2 lakh respectively. As many as 270 college teams had participated in the preliminary round. The qualifying teams come from New Delhi, Chennai, Mangalore, Assam, Bareilly, Patiala and Mumbai.

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