INS Kamorta is the first of four indigenous Anti-Submarine Kamorta-class stealth corvettes

by Sudha Nambudiri

KOCHI: Technology should not be restricted to just space, defence, aerospace sectors, etc. It should include other areas like agriculture, education, consumer electronics and so on. "To ensure this happens, we have to bring in indigenous technology," said V K Aatre, former Director General of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

One method, he said, could have been the Make in India, but "I don't understand it. I hope somewhere along the line, it will incorporate the Made in India too. Otherwise it is a gimmick, because it seems to be one man's vision and it has not percolated down. Unless that happens, it has no meaning," said Aatre who was in Kochi recently to participate in the 65th annual day celebration of NPOL, a DRDO lab.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserves a lot of appreciation as he was the first to talk about Make in India. Nobody had propounded such a vision. Most of us are cautiously optimistic. But it has not reflected beyond the top level. Percolation takes time, so in a few years we will probably see the results," he said.

Aatre, former scientific advisor to defence minister, had headed a Task Force when Manohar Parikkar was the minister for detailing the criteria for selection of strategic partners for defence production within the Indian private sector.

"We were given three months to come out with the report, but I think it has not been implemented. There was a lot of objection and reluctance to implement that report as it involved reorganisation of the ministry of defence itself," Aatre said.

The report has defined the rules for selection of a strategic partner for the defence production.

"Effectively, any company that wins the bid will have a monopoly for 20-25 years. So it is like having a private defence PSU. We suggested that if a company bid for one major system, they cannot bid for another.

The reason being simple, you can't put everything in one basket. Our committee suggested that there should be financial and technological limitations- for example, the company can't have a factory in China or Korea if they are investing in defence sector. In case of any other sector, it doesn't matter," he added.

He expressed hope that if the report is not implemented in a certain time, the parameters will change. "We are enamoured by foreign products. But we should develop our own technologies. There is no dearth of talent in India. Silicon valley is the global example."

The former DRDO chief was dismayed at the recruitment freeze for several years in the organisation which will have an impact on the technology development.

"For every recruitment freeze, the gap will continue. This must be addressed. The average age of people in a research lab should be 35-45 years. Those are the best productivity years in a person's life," he added.