The following are
major ongoing projects of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
lagging behind schedule:
|
Project
|
Probable Date of Completion (PDC)
|
|
Original
|
Revised
|
|
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Phase-II
|
December 2008
|
December 2015
|
|
Naval Light Combat Aircraft (LCA, Navy) Phase-I
|
March 2010
|
December 2014
|
|
Aero-engine Kaveri
|
December 1996
|
December 2009 #
|
|
Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) System
|
October 2011
|
March 2014
|
|
Long Range Surface - to - Air Missile (LR-SAM)
|
May 2011
|
December 2015
|
|
Air-to-Air Missile Astra
|
August 2012
|
December 2016
|
PDC
has been further extended within the sanctioned cost and scope.
The
following are some of the reasons for delay in completion of the above projects :-
(i)
Ab-initio development of the
state-of-the-art technologies.
(ii)
Non-availability
of infrastructure/test facilities in the country.
(iii)
Technical /
technological complexities.
(iv)
Non-availability
of critical components / equipment/materials and denial of technologies by the
technologically advanced countries.
(v)
Enhanced
User’s requirements or change in specifications during development.
(vi)
Increase in
the scope of work.
(vii)
Extended/long-drawn
user trials.
(viii)
Failure of some of the components during testing/trials.
Delay in Completion of above projects are not due to lack of manpower.
Therefore, question of recruitment of more scientists does not arise for
this purpose. However, scientists are
being recruited regularly through Direct Advertisement, Campus Recruitments
from IITs, IISc & NITs, Registration of Students
with Scholastic Aptitude (ROSSA) Scheme, Non Resident Indians (NRIs) Scheme,
Lateral Entry Scheme, etc. as per the requirements of the ongoing and
futuristic projects.
The ratio of scientists to the total strength of manpower of DRDO is
approximately 1:3.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri
AK Antony in a written reply to Shri
P.C. Mohan in Lok Sabha today
VP/HH