Actually in DRDO there is a lot of RED TAG WORKCULTURE...means there outside people thinks that a lot of work is going on. But inside there is a lot of legpulling & person's personal interest. If somebody wants to work there are two probabilty first he will not be allowed & Other is that his credit will be taken by someone... Also there is not proper distribution of work according to capabilty & interest. The unsatisfaction rate in DRDO is very high for the persons who want to do something new. Unless the people at high post in DRDO have not get acountabilty for failures DRDO & India in defense can not mve much forward.
RE:The Fault is in System
by Albert Adibadla on Jan 16, 2008 12:14 AM Permalink
PEOPLE MAKE THE SYSTEM... INCOMPETENT PEOPLE MAKES INCOMPETENT SYSTEM...
Horrible Horrible state of affairs.DRDO functions like most government office in India.Red tape corruption reservations..you name it.India's defence contracts should be given to private players which are more efficient and result driven.Such a useless pathetic organization like the DRDO should be immediately scrapped or else the whole country will have to pay a heavy price.
RE:privatize DRDO
by on Jan 15, 2008 11:51 PM Permalink
how many of us know that NASA failed on numerous occasion before launching its first spacecraft.How many of us know that Lockheed(Current manufacturer of F-15) has design problem which led to mid air disintegration of its fighter jet.TATA Indica car launched in 1997 had so many defect..but tatas took it as a challenge and overcome many of them.We certainly cannot compare CAR with ROCKETs..but a lesson learnt..NEVER GIVE UP.Western countries have money to spend on R&D..does anyone know that NASA scientist where warned before challenger space shuttle was launched in 1986.It exploded in mid air minutes after the launch. You have many ups and downs my dear in any given technology.Its the attitude "NEVER GIVE UP" which matters.DRDO is doing a good job..looking at the constraints they have.
RE:privatize DRDO
by Sonia Bofors Gandhi on Jan 16, 2008 12:12 AM Permalink
But why do they need to work on all products at once. Can not they master in just one and two items and get rest of products in barter.
RE:privatize DRDO
by Sanjay on Jan 16, 2008 03:34 AM Permalink
More horrible is the government who expects a kickback for everything. Please don't say DRDO is well funded, they have next to no funding in my opinion, since we can spend outlandishly on foriegn equipment like Bofors, and t-90 but never get the technology which was promised for it.
Further these people don't know any histroy, let us give example Falkland war British got the code to disable the antiship missile from the french, from the French because French side with British. Now this can be the case with all missile bought by foriegn depending on which side of the fence you sit your missiles can be rendered harmless.
DRDO is doing a great job, but these corrupt people in government want Kickback without which they feel unhappy and give all sorts of unfounded gali to DRDO
RE:privatize DRDO
by commander hans on Jan 18, 2008 09:23 PM Permalink
Go take a look at the DRDO bhawan...maybe that will change your opinion about funding....
RE:privatize DRDO
by abcd abcd on Jan 16, 2008 01:23 AM Permalink
Whether NASA failed or not is irrelevant. Today the Pakis have an indigenously developed fighter (called JF-17 Thunder) while we are still waiting on Tejas and some how keeping those MiG-21s alive at geat cost of money and human life. It matters little which one has better specs on paper. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Should we have a a military confrontation of a larger scale tomorrow with anyone, be it country or terrorist organization, our young men and women will bleed while the Babus of the Raksha Mantralaya will continue to eat mithai purchased from the money sucked out of coffin for our soldiers.
RE:privatize DRDO
by Sudip Bhattacharjee on Jan 16, 2008 12:06 AM Permalink
NEVER GIVE UP is a good slogan for countries having lot of resources, such as USA as you mentioned. Countries like India with limited resources and budget from basically taxpayers money can not afford to ave a program which has no limited time frame. You should also consider the fact that when USA was developing first mission to space, the technology was new, except Russia no country knew how to do that. It was a priority and country's pride for USA to develop indigenous technology to beat Russia. At this moment, there is no such competition. All other countries already have such missiles and there is absolutely no need to re-invent the wheel at the expense of taxpayers money.
RE:privatize DRDO
by on Jan 16, 2008 01:06 AM Permalink
hi sudip, but dont you think "DRDO is doing a good job..looking at the constraints they have".Lets not blame DRDO..its the system built around DRDO :-( .Every company has crooks "What happened to ENRON?, Many MNC Financial Institutions, like CITI, JP Morgan etc.were involved in the SCAM".Corruption is everywhere, the difference being getting punished, which sadly never happens in INDIA. Its not about re-inventing wheels..do you know India is the first country to test with Solid Fuels in the rockets."Never give up" attitude applies in all the field irrespective of FUNDS. Without this attitude the world would have been a different place
RE:inefficiency
by on Jan 15, 2008 11:51 PM Permalink
how many of us know that NASA failed on numerous occasion before launching its first spacecraft.How many of us know that Lockheed(Current manufacturer of F-15) has design problem which led to mid air disintegration of its fighter jet.TATA Indica car launched in 1997 had so many defect..but tatas took it as a challenge and overcome many of them.We certainly cannot compare CAR with ROCKETs..but a lesson learnt..NEVER GIVE UP.Western countries have money to spend on R&D..does anyone know that NASA scientist where warned before challenger space shuttle was launched in 1986.It exploded in mid air minutes after the launch. You have many ups and downs my dear in any given technology.Its the attitude "NEVER GIVE UP" which matters.DRDO is doing a good job..looking at the constraints they have.
DRDO needs to be reinvigorated but the writer is off the mark on certain issues. DRDO has done comendable job in the light of technology black out by western countries. Even US missile system will be useless without support from critical components from Japan and Germany.
To compate DRDO with Pakistan's missile program is laughable. Writer could not have shown his ignorance more.
Pakistan's missile program exists only on the TV and is a result of video editing.
It is a myth created by western media ( in support of their strategic objectives in the central Asia and against India) and it is meant to tie India down. Think rather than believe whatever is published in the newspaper by Reuters or told by those beautiful blondes on CNN. West's objective is to maintain India-Pakistan balance- a price Pakistan asks for their suppoprt. This myth is part of that game. Pakistan's nuclear bombs are as real as Iraq's WMD. Because if they really had one, they would blow in Bush's ass.
RE:Unfair criticism
by SI on Jan 16, 2008 12:11 AM Permalink
Very good analysis. Mr.Arman have you worked in ISI. How come you know so much about pakistan's weapons?
RE:RE:Unfair criticism
by Arman on Jan 16, 2008 12:24 AM Permalink
One has to keep eys and ears open. Analyse every news with skepticism. Read French Levy's book on how US knew, encouraged, assisted Pakistan's nuclear program. It was not china but US! And since US controls even UK's nuclear codes, why would they give it to Pakistan? Yes, neocons are nuts but they still love thier lives.
This bullshit has been going on for too long. Not only this puts India into a unwinnable position, but it has also damaged US beyond repair. Some f*ckers would never stop inspite of knowing that sh%t is not working.
RE:Unfair criticism
by mani sekaran on Jan 16, 2008 12:02 AM Permalink
you know better? That is laughable? I was in DRDO and I know our indian DRDO was nothing but whole bunch of scammers
RE:Unfair criticism
by Arman on Jan 16, 2008 12:14 AM Permalink
You really think that Pakistan is 'testing' missiles a day after Indiafires Agni? And they can't make a decent bicycle! To put an IRBM together takes months if not years. And here is Pakistan shooting them off faster than diwali rockets. It is clear that US is playing India for fools.
Some interested parties are badmouthing DRDO for their nefarious reasons. This has picked up in the last few years since Manmohan has taken over. There is a concerted move to create doubts in the minds of those who advocate self reliance for defence needs.
Is it part of strategic partnership with US to weaken India?
India, though doing better economically has surely a long way to go before it can ever match upn to the advanced technological capabilities of the West, and no matter how much we Indians may deny it, it is the truth. The country needs to make all research organisations accountable and employ only internationally acclaimed scientific and technical manpower to head its scientific laboratories. India is now well placed to provide adequate funding to its research laboratories, but it need to inculcate the culture of accountability in its scientific personnel. A corporate sector approach is more the order of the day in the research insitutes, and like in western nations researchers should be able to fund their research through tying up with industry funded projects.
RE:How DRDO failed India's military
by Sanjay on Jan 16, 2008 02:15 AM Permalink
You fool India's technolog goes wholesale to foriegn these foriegn have the Indian genious? You should stick to your job of mopping floors instead of commenting about Indian scientist.
The only reason to insult DRDO is because the wish to stop the development of the nation, After all it is Coolie Raj onl interested in kickbacks.
DRDO should be held accountable for its failure to develop the IGMP. What is the justification of spending taxpayer's money to produce nothing? What about the accountability of the government? The govt should also be answerable to the public. Why the opposition parties are not saying anything?
I find it very common that government agencies have no accountability in India, unlike in western countries. If we look at the US defense research, they have gone to the doors of the private industries for R&D. They have definite budget for definite projects within definite dead lines. No institutions in western countries work without dead lines. Why can not we learn from them? Why don't we send the DRDO heads to a MBA training? After all, it is the money of the common taxpayers. If this happened in countries like USA, all media will jump on it and call it a scam and call for the resignation of defense secretary.
What are the India media doing?
Can we change our mindset and attitude in future so that this never happens again? Does it teach us any lesson?
RE:DRDO should be held accountable - we need to change our mindset
by Sanjay on Jan 16, 2008 02:06 AM Permalink
One is government who is hell bent to buy sub-standard equipment from foreign, no matter how bad it is like the Israeli Barak, which was bought bypassing the military.
Third now matter how good or perfect the system would be, they will find flaws, because the lack of kickback involved. Being national mean to be so without that whiskey, and other benefits so why do so?.
Of course this is the reason why we still don't manufacture the T-90 and bofor gun despite the technology transfer agreement.
Yes, we have not change or coolie number one mindset in which all things foriegn is good, Indian is bad. We spend a begger's amout on reasearch but buy thing without technology transfer ever being transfered for ungodly sums. The military does not wish to work with the reasearch organation, Further our country is most infiltrated.
RE:Fantastic Article and Very Well Written
by Sanjay on Jan 16, 2008 01:55 AM Permalink
DRDO is much more patriotic then the military. They are much less infiltrated. Further if examine Pokhran II its secrecy was because of scientist.
It is shameful that people want to stop basic research anti-national, those scoundrel are hundred percent anti-nationals
RE:RE:Fantastic Article and Very Well Written
by commander hans on Jan 18, 2008 09:27 PM Permalink
you are again misinformed...who was keeping the satellites in the sky busy??????
What else would you expect with an 75% reservation for SC/ST/OBC and now muslims (machhar committee recomedations)? I had been into one of the research facility and saw almost all the "scientists" reading newspapers, magazines, sipping tea and chatting. Rather than spending people's billions tax rupees on these organizations, govt should better have private sector work for them.
RE:What else would you expect?
by deepak on Jan 15, 2008 11:44 PM Permalink
George, We need to change this mindset. Its a fashion among the upper class/non reserved people to talk about the reservation and disown of all your responsibilities. BTW the reservation in most of the parts is 50% not 75% as you aresaying. Secondly, it can not be the reason for the failure of the project. What about the other upper cast so called bright and intelligent people? Research is a different game all together. It needs a mindset. Even academacally brightest student may not become a good scientist. We have so many examples of even college drop outs being great scientists/innovator. Most importantly not all research will be successful. We have to be patient. We need to learn from the failures. Indians perhaps will never understand all this....
RE:What else would you expect?
by nationalist on Jan 15, 2008 11:49 PM Permalink
Most intelligent people go abroad or join the private sector.Only reservation canditates join these jobs.
RE:What else would you expect?
by Raju on Jan 16, 2008 01:00 AM Permalink
George do you want to say, that all SC/ST are dumb and upper caste people are indigenous? If yes, then you are in sain. It is upper caste people, who spread castism and politics in Govt org. Their aim is to suppress SC/ST people. In this process they forget what they suppose to do in org, they forget why they are hired for. This brings the org like DRDO down. From generations, people like you filled with hatred and pre-eminence dragging India back. Stop thinking about reservation and do your job, India will be better place to live.
RE:RE:What else would you expect?
by Attatar Yena on Jan 16, 2008 12:34 AM Permalink
Mr George, you are not being objective when you put all the blame on quoata system. If reservations are to be blamed then how come ISRO is so succesful ??. You got to understand that good marks in exams do not always make a good scientist. Good research and development is about work culture, work ethic and objective ( and not politically motivated )performance evaluation in the scientific establishment. If these objective systems are not functioning properly you have a bunch of lazy people wasting taxpayers money, idling away their time and tom-tomming dressed-up achievements to create cheap publicity. BTW 50 % reservation does not mean that 50 % scientists in DRDO are from reserved category. Why ? Go figure that out..
It will be a good idea to privitise the development work and manufacturing of weapons systems to give an impetus to weapons development projects. Surely, induction of private players will bring vitality to DRDO too. Without the element of private sector competition, the officials of DRDO seem to be taking things easy, And since it impinges on our defences capabilities, we must be open to try out all suggestions.
RE:DRDO and delay in development of weapons systems
by commander hans on Jan 18, 2008 09:28 PM Permalink
try selling this idea to DRDO...you will be kicked ouf of the building....
RE:DRDO and delay in development of weapons systems
by Sanjay on Jan 16, 2008 01:34 AM Permalink
Your point is correct,Private players would be able to give the kickback which the DRDO lacks, and would be better at marketing, feeding the whiskey and the w, and other things, plus bribing the politician. Any businessmen knows, and every person tring for a government job knows that without kickback you might as well have the best grades , be first class first still you would be second, or even the best product etc, but there is that kickback system in coolie raj..
It is regular habit of the "Indians" insult any thing or any one of their own. One can give point by point reply to this writer but it is a waste of time. His is writing for his paymasters
RE:On whose payment is this man???
by keith pavlak on Jan 15, 2008 11:27 PM Permalink
Mr.Ramachandruni..I think It takes a great deal of patriotism and sharp intellect to tell a nation on an open forum that the weapon systems provider has bungled.Precisely when the nation and its successive govts have not bothered to let its people know.This man has the guts to call a spade a spade, there is no insult or raw deal here. What he says is very true, no one can deny the fact that DRDO has managed a few success stories, but of the lot they have made far too many promises and delivered precious little and more often than not after many many cost over-runs and deadline slippages.You can take any system and see its progress timeline and in most of them lot of vital parameters are either written off or requirements scaled down,costs escalating and deliverables not delivered within timelines.The Tejas is such an example, the Arjuna battletank,Super missile Surya,The Advanced Technology Vessal and even the much vaunted Agni and Pritvi series. Because it is the govt and because govt processes take eons to complete that the armed forced keep quiet.Sir,No nation can maintain a strategic edge if its industrial-military complex is subject to red tape and non performing organizations.Pakistan in this respect is much ahead, they dont boast of indigenious weapons and might have stuff from China or North Korea but all their systems work and here is where we have lost out to jingoism and making things ourselves when the market is wide open.
RE:On whose payment is this man???
by Varun Shekhar on Jan 15, 2008 11:45 PM Permalink
No Pavlak, you are off base. The article by Verma was a complete hatchet job, with no attempt at fairness or balance. What about the success of Agni 3, the recent Akash tests, the missile interception in December, the electronic warfare systems, avionics on Sukhoi( "project vetrivale") etc? At least mention these successes, if you are going to write critically of DRDO.
RE:On whose payment is this man???
by Ajaya Mohan on Jan 16, 2008 12:11 AM Permalink
Mr Rao: The author have raised some valid points with some good reasoning. If he is wrong, please do write a reply with a point-by-point reply. Let us know the other side of the coin. DRDO and Kalam is praised too much in this country for the 'great services' they have done for this nation. But the truth is that they have not done anything great for the money spend. Ask any army chief, if you would like to. It is to be defined clearly whether DRDO serves the armed forces or vice-versa. In the name of secrecy, public is kept under dark about DRDO's so called achievements.
