By IANS
Hyderabad : Defence Minister A.K. Antony Tuesday asked Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists to “shed old mindsets” and reorient themselves to face challenges of globalisation.
Addressing the DRDO scientists after a day’s tour of the organisation’s cluster of laboratories here, the minister dwelt at length on the changing times and their myriad dimensions on security, economy and organizations.
“The political and economic dynamics of relationships between the countries today, both regional and global, are constantly changing. On the one side, this forces us to constantly re-appraise conventional and non-conventional threats to our national security. On the other side, the impact of globalisation requires that we re-assess and adjust to new economic
relationships,” he said.
Antony said the DRDO cannot remain insulated from the changes taking place around it and has to reconfigure and adjust itself to the changing environment.
“Rapid advances in science and technology require that the DRDO adjusts its organizational structure and goals to new situations and new requirements and in the process shed old mindsets.
“The DRDO will have to actively increase its interaction with both the public and private sectors for technology transfers and R&D, so that products which have civilian applications can be productionised – and all this without losing sight of the DRDO’s primary mandate, which is in support of the country’s defence preparedness.”
Antony said the Rama Rao Committee report, which has looked at these issues, was under consideration of the government. He congratulated the DRDO scientists for the successful launch of the Agni-1 missile Sunday.
Accompanied by DRDO chief M. Natarajan and other scientists including V.K. Saraswat and Avinash Chander, Antony visited the Missile Complex, constituted by the premier laboratories of Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Defence Electronics Research Laboratory, specialising in electronic warfare.