S Christopher is new DRDO chief, but he won’t be scientific adviser to defence minister

S Christopher

FOUR months after the then high-profile DRDO chief Avinash Chander was sacked, the government has found a replacement in S Christopher, a distinguished scientist and director of Centre for Air-Borne Systems, DRDO. Christopher is appointed as new Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for two years, according to an order mentioning approval by PM-headed Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). But unlike in case of Chander, Christopher won’t be…

Sacking of DRDO Chief Avinash Chander: 5 questions, no clear answers

NO ONE can question the legality of DRDO chief Avinash Chander’s sacking 16 months before his tenure ends. After all, the scientist in question is already a retired officer currently serving on a contract. Also, the decision was taken by none other than PM-headed Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on the recommendation of the country’s defence minister. Yet, the way the government handled the Chander’s ouster has raised a number of questions. BoI picks out 5 such questions:

What has made ACC sack DRDO chief Avinash Chander 16 months before his tenure ends?

Chander, Tessy Thomas, others

IN WHAT could be seen as an attempt to reform DRDO that has an annual budget of Rs 10,300 crore or roughly $1.6 billion, the Centre on Tuesday sacked its high profile chief Avinash Chander whose current contract was till May 2016. The moment the order of Chander’s termination of contracts came, BoI was the first to break the story in social media sites. According to the order, Prime Minister-headed…