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A high-level committee set up to revamp the Defence Research and Development Organisation has suggested having two secretaries in the organisation along with setting up a Defence Technology Commission.
The recommendations have been made by the Professor Vijay Raghavan committee, which submitted its report to the Defence Ministry on January 1. Defence sources said the commission has been recommended to be set up under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, with various other stakeholders as its part. The committee, which had three senior military officials in it, has recommended that the DRDO have two secretaries, one to look after defence research and development and the other to look into defence technology and innovations. The committee report has been shared with the different wings of the defence ministry and armed forces for their comments and will be widely discussed. The defence ministry is likely to hold a meeting by the end of the month to discuss the reforms and later take up the matter with the Prime Minister's Office for final discussions and decisions. The committee has also recommended the merger of existing over 50 laboratories into around 10 larger ones, reducing the number of directors and removing the role of the cluster Director generals. The committee has also recommended the increase in the role of academia and private sector in defence research and development. The committee has given its report and suggested that its recommendations be implemented in stipulated timeframe and the time frame given is not big. It is also not yet clear how the ongoing projects would be completed or followed up by the forces and the defence research agency. (ANI)
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