K. Tamilmani, Chief Controller of Aeronautics Cluster in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is likely to become the interim head of the organisation, succeeding Avinash Chander, who was asked to step down after the government suddenly ended his contractual term.
Dr. Tamilmani, the senior-most of the seven cluster heads in the DRDO, is the Director of the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Bangalore.
Government sources indicated on Friday that a proposal to de-link the position of Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister from the Director-General, DRDO, was under consideration as part of a major overhaul of the organisation, which has faced criticism on account of time and huge cost overruns in key defence projects. Currently, the DRDO chief acts as the Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister.
The government on Tuesday terminated the 18-month contract of Dr. Chander and asked him to step down on January 31, ahead of his term that would have ended in May 2016.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar acknowledged that it was his decision to terminate the contract of Dr. Chander as he believed a “younger person should be heading the DRDO and not someone on contract.” He said the senior-most cluster head would be the interim head.
Dr. Chander, 64, was the architect of the Agni missile programme. The strategic weapons capability made major strides during Dr. Chander’s tenure.
