The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been directed to put on hold the recruitment of scientific and technical personnel until further orders in the light of the space sector reforms initiated by the Central government.
In a September 3 letter to the directors of the various ISRO centres, the Department of Space (DoS) stated that the manpower requirement in the scientific and technical categories was being reassessed in view of the sectoral reforms, highly placed sources said.
Multiple modes
The DoS decision is applicable to recruitments made via multiple modes, including direct recruitment by the centres, centralised recruitment and campus recruitments through the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). The centres have also been directed to cease the hiring of personnel on contract until further orders.
The decision is binding on all ISRO centres and units, including the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) and the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota.
Reorganisation of staff
A senior ISRO official said recruitments had been ‘temporarily’ put on hold as the establishment of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) under the DoS had necessitated reorganisation of existing staff.
“A committee has been formed to study the reassessment of manpower, and the recruitment will be resumed as per its recommendations,” the official said.
Protests
Meanwhile, the DoS directive has sparked off protests, with the ISRO Staff Association strongly denouncing the move to privatise the space sector. The association staged demonstrations outside the VSSC and the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) in Thiruvananthapuram, and the Ammonium Perchlorate Experimental Plant (APEP) at Aluva, on Wednesday.
The “recruitment ban is the second stage of the privatisation process in the ISRO, akin to other public sectors,” the association said, adding that it would adversely impact space missions.
