The Hindu Business Line : DRDO chief stresses need to cut dependence on Defence components imports

Hyderabad, Oct. 14 Indian industry should mature to manufacturing complete systems for the Defence sector on par with international standards and deliver them on time and at competitive costs, said Dr V.K. Saraswat, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister.

So far, most companies have been doing components and sub-systems of good quality. More than 800 industries are involved in projects taken up by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), but the scale of self reliance index is around 30-40 per cent indigenous production and rest is import.

Calling for a reversal of this scenario and overcoming the syndrome of imports, Dr Saraswat said: “There is a need to make big investments in focused areas to bridge the technology gap and reduce dependence on imported components.”

Dr Saraswat, who took charge at DRDO recently, was delivering the Prof. Suri Bhagavantham Centenary Lecture at the Osmania University here today on “Growth in Defence Science and Technology”.

The knowledge base is okay, but there are definite shortfalls in industrial, managerial and integration base in the country compared to advanced nations in defence. In areas such as electronics, sensors and hitech components we are lagging behind, the DRDO chief agreed.

Import is a process which is easy to follow because somebody has done all the work, investments, test and used the product. But, you should remember that by the time you get it, it is close to becoming obsolete in reality.

“Even in advanced nations it takes 7-8 years to make a missile, though you just do the design and order the components and systems from private industry players and assemble them,” Dr Saraswat said, while responding to questions on delays and long gestation in Indian defence projects.

To accelerate self-reliance in defence technology, the DRDO would soon invite academics to spend time with the laboratories on specific projects. I have also urged DRDO scientists to spend at least five years of their career with academic institutes, he added.

The DRDO has 52 laboratories across the country and around 7,000 scientists.

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