Parliamentary Panel Says Budget for Defense Research Must Be Strengthened

New Delhi: DEC-20, In line with India’s determination to emerge as a global heavyweight in manufacturing military platforms such as fighters and jets, the parliamentary standing committee on Wednesday suggested that research and development be given a higher budget outlay.
According to a report by the Standing Committee on Defence, there are 328 ongoing projects at DRDO totaling $99,898 crore. The list does not include strategic projects.

In terms of types, 55 were in mission mode; 197 involved technology demonstration (TD); 34 related to infrastructure and facilities; and 19 concerned science and technology with another two product support projects. There was one user-trial project, three industrial cooperation plans involving Chinese enterprises as cooperative partners, and nine urging users to leave China for testing or development work overseas.

The committee takes note with concern that out of 55 projects, only 32 were completed on time.

With 571 projects worth? 34,16. crore that were successfully completed and closed over the last decade, it said, but with respect to partial or unsuccessful projects, respectively, such wasting of project money amounted in all to a staggering sum totaling some? 720.8 cr).

The committee’s report was laid on the table of Parliament on Wednesday.

The budgetary provisions made to the Defense Department over research and development in recent years have been on a downward trend, pointed out by the panel.

It said that for the year 2019–20, which was budgeted at Rs. 68 crore and had allocations of Rs. 3745 crores in this case, the projected amount less allocated amounts were negative.

At a later stage, the allocation was reduced to ₹18,337 crore at the revised estimate.