The Hindu Business Line : New DRDO bait to lure NRIs, over 500 freshers

If its proposal to Pay Commission is accepted, it could mean a dramatic rise in salaries by 3-4 times based on performance; a six-month sabbatical; higher education; special allowances at difficult terrains among others.

Our Bureau

Bangalore, Nov. 15 Performance-linked pay and perks; contracts, soft skills and leadership assessment: some of the new recruitment baits for the country’s defence scientists sound so businesslike that they may have come from corporatedom.

Even as the Recruitment & Assessment Centre of the Defence Research & Development Organisation is casting the net wide to catch over 500 young scientists and engineers in 2007, against the usual 300-odd, it also hopes to lure a record 50 overseas Indians to its 45-odd labs, according to the RAC Chairman, Dr K.V. Raghavan.

Ever since a lateral induction or short-term scheme for NRI scientists was introduced five years ago, it has managed to bring in 25 and this number is rising, Dr Raghavan told a news conference here.

“This year, we are targeting double the figure,” he said. The main attractions for homing Indians are aeronautics, material sciences and life sciences.

These scientists are apparently motivated more by the challenges that the defence labs offer than by the salaries that are no match to the high-paying MNCs or the IT sector.

Happily for DRDO, the reverse tide is coming at a time when the organisation is battling 4.6 per cent attrition in 2006 (compared to 2.7 in 2000) amidst an “exponential demand from all sides for scientific talent in India” and poaching by industry.

Decision on a proposal to the Pay Commission for a performance-based incentive is likely in February.

PAY HIKE & ‘GRP’

An RAC proposal to the Pay Commission for a performance-based incentive for scientists is expected to be decided around February 2008. If accepted, it could mean a dramatic rise in salaries by 3-4 times based on performance; a six-month sabbatical; higher education; special allowances at difficult terrains among others. The wage bill currently is 25-30 per cent of the DRDO budget of Rs 5,000-6,000 crore.

The organisation is also evolving assessment criteria. Meanwhile, RAC in July this year launched a ‘GRP’ or good recruitment practices guideline on ethical and fair recruitment.

This would become a national accreditation system on par with MNCs and top private companies, Dr Raghavan said.

The defence labs spread across the country have a scientific strength of 7,500 or 25 per cent of the total strength of 29,000; and recruit over 300 young scientists every year from campuses and other institutions. “Some 3,900 or 55 per cent of the pool are young and we began a special drive five years back (to attract young talent).” Dr Raghavan said.

RAC now is waking up to match their career aspirations with challenging roles, training, career enhancement and higher education through the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology at Pune. Promotions are faster now, within 2-3 years compared to 5-7 years earlier.

According to Dr Raghavan, the attrition problem is a market reality, yet somewhat better than in the defence labs of the US, Europe or Australia.

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