Is India Readying For Killing Defence Research By Creating Multi Layered Babudom : What Can We Learn From Trump, Indira Gandhi , Nehru , Scindia and 3 M ?
Rajiv Upadhyay 
India is genuinely concerned with growing differential between India and China in defence capability . It is also aware that China will most likely attack India to wipe out competition to its hegemony .
But the Babus assembled to recommend speeding up Defence Research under Raghavan Committee have just not understood the problem . The people who could not buy a fighter plane in twenty years want to question delay in AMCA or Tejas or Cauvery engine or Rustom drone ! It is a tragedy that they will Babufy research further by bringing IAS as Secretary and cover it up with jargon like focussing on research while ordering weapons, equipment etc will be by Babus . Splitting of powers will be a disaster . Are we blind not to see the real motives of Babus ? Ultimate Babufication of DRDO when it becomes commercially important was obvious when DRDO chief was termed as Secretary !
Next victim in line will be ISRO as soon as it becomes commercially attractive to Babus !
Sadly they could not learn how president Trump and Europe behaved when COVID vaccine was to be made . President Trump chose the best company Pfizer and trusted it and gave funds and orders to produce vaccine for US government .It created an exception and an empowerment module for a national mission and succeeded against hope . Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Trusted created an exception by empowering and giving a non lapsable fund for Integrated Missile Development programme which is the core strength of India today. Nehru kept BARC out of Audit preview . Even in railway , North Frontier Railway was made at record speed by trusting and making exceptions for rapid results . In contrast an old additional increment enjoyed by ISRO scientists was withdrawn just on Chandrayan launching day just showing ISRO chief his real ‘ aukat’ in bureaucracy. Indian Army’s nose was rubbed by Babus on OROP issue till luckily a tired PM over ruled them . Babus are the reason for India’s backwardness in Industry , Science and Technology as witnessed by Abhinandan’s plane being shot because some babu refused permission to buy a communication link on pretext of it being developed indigenously ! Why the Babu was not punished for the ignominy he brought to country ?
Committee should read two books ‘ In Search of Excellence ‘ by Tom Peters which is a seminal work which was later also followed by its sequel. Principles of success in Research are just opposite of principles of Babudom . 3M the best research company , just creates a support team around a new idea and let the empowered genius of original idea pursue his dream project. Small is beautiful in research!
DRDO reorgnisation committee is full of very eminent, respectable and competent professionals who all have a valid genuine wish list but do not know how to get it ? Yet they want to disbelieve the researchers and want to impose their ‘ non solution to a non problem ‘ on them . We must realise that our technical knowledge and financial resources are limited . For next fifteen years at least we will have to import latest technology weapons say twenty to thirty percent of total purchase. We must avoid this publicity oriented approach of expecting results too soon with nominal expenditure. Successive governments have neglected defence purchase best example being depletion of squadron strength from 40 to thirty two since 1972 and allowing Pakistan to acquire almost parity instead of two and a half time strength. Chinese army is living with poor quality indigenous weapons but we cannot ! We can only continue limited imports to retain the technical edge.
Since the committee chairman is from my ex Institute IIT/Kanpur , let me share a real story. One of my brilliant batchmate of 1967 batch mechanical engineering , son of a primary teacher from Agra, gave up US dream and joined DRDO ( then ) and was included in ICBM project. In those days missiles were guided by gyroscope . India’s orders for all machines for making its components were mysteriously cancelled . Similarly the alloy steel furnaces for making alloy steel were just not supplied . Ultimately India had to first make machines and furnaces then only main work could be started. The delay was inescapable but its success was a tribute to determination of patriotic members. Ask anyone this story is repeated every time and who could be a biggest victim then Nambi Narayanan . Patience and recognising foreign weapon lobby corrupt practices is vital. Also let us face the fact that we are still a nation of mediocres in every field . We have just never tried breaking out of its shackles. A determined Lee Kuan can change it provided we have right advisers at top and vital political skills needed in democracy .
Railways succeeded in increasing the horse power of its diesel engine because it DEDO chief G.S.Kang went up to the Minister but refused to start the project without a test bed which increased the project cost four times but ultimately saved far more. If GTRE chief had refused to develop Cauvery jet engine without a test bed and full facilities ,India would have had an engine now .
But credit must go to Madhav Rao Scindia for placing full trust in DEDO chief just as Indira Gandhi placed full trust in General Manek Shaw or lately we have trusted ISRO chief in moon mission. Classic example is Bhutto’s total trust in A.Q.Khan for atom bomb and Zia’s skillful diplomacy and see what wonder it produced. We are publicity and credit hounds and that is why we fail.
Babus tools of Confidential reports , performance reviews , punishment , weeding out dead wood are all poisons in research organisations . Inspirational working needs a different style of leadership.
India is about to destroy its defence research if this poisonous weed is injected in DRDO . Let us trust and fully empower DRDO Chairman , take him out of dozen watch dogs like CBI . ED, Audit , CVC etc . Understand the uncertainties of research and limits of Indian technical knowledge .
He will deliver and not disappoint the nation .
