The Prime Minister of Bharat, Narendra Modi, who heads the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, has extended the tenure of Samir V Kamat, the chief of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), by one year.
Kamat, who was first appointed to this position on August 26, 2022, will now serve until May 31, 2025. This decision followed a proposal from the defense ministry. The extension of Kamat’s tenure comes at a crucial time when the government is moving forward with significant changes to the DRDO based on recommendations from a panel.
This nine-member panel, led by former principal scientific advisor K VijayRaghavan, was established last year to review and suggest improvements for DRDO. The panel submitted its recommendations in January 2024, which include making the organization leaner and more efficient.
Kamat is currently leading an internal committee tasked with implementing these recommendations. This overhaul aims to address various issues that have plagued DRDO’s high-priority military projects, such as delays, cost overruns, and instances where projects were declared successful without achieving their main objectives. These problems were highlighted in a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General in 2022.
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The DRDO’s ‘mission mode’ projects, which are high-priority initiatives based on specific user requirements and set deadlines, have faced particular scrutiny. Some of these projects, despite being labeled successful, had to be restarted to meet their original goals.
The VijayRaghavan committee’s terms of reference include restructuring the DRDO, enhancing collaboration with academia, MSMEs, and start-ups, attracting and retaining talent, leveraging expertise from NRIs and foreign consultants, and modernizing administrative systems to ensure faster project implementation.
This news comes shortly after the government granted an extension to army chief General Manoj Pande, who was due to retire on May 31. The extension of General Pande’s tenure has added to the uncertainty regarding the next chief of the world’s second-largest army.
Samir V Kamat has a strong academic background and extensive experience in materials science and engineering. He completed his B. Tech (Hons) in metallurgical engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1985 and earned a PhD from Ohio State University in 1988.
Joining DRDO in 1989, Kamat has led several critical materials programs. These include developing high-strength steel for naval ships, high-temperature alloys for aero engines, advanced materials for missile seekers, and stealth materials for military applications.
Kamat’s contributions have been vital to the advancement of Bharat’s defense technology, and his extended tenure is expected to play a key role in the successful restructuring and modernization of DRDO.
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