Centre Forms 5-member Panel under IIT Delhi Director V. Ramagopal Rao to redefine DRDO Charter
- Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, the Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has constituted the five-member expert committee to redefine the role of the DRDO for the current and futuristic defence and battlefield scenarios.
- The main motive of constituting this elite panel is to
- Study and review the charter of duties of all 52 laboratories of DRDO and to redefine the same for both current and futuristic defence and battlefield scenarios.
- Reduce Indian military’s dependence on imports, in line with Prime minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” in the defence sector.
- Minimise the overlap of technologies amongst the laboratories.
- The committee will be headed by professor V. Ramagopal Rao, Director of IIT, Delhi.
- Other members of the panel are:
- S. Somnath, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre;
- Air Marshal Sandeep Singh, Deputy Chief of Air Staff;
- Dr. Samir V. Kamat, Director General-Naval Systems & Materials (NS & M) and
- Benjamin Lionel, Director, Instruments Research & Development Establishment of DRDO
Note: India is the second-largest arms importer in the world after Saudi Arabia.