Scientific Adviser seeks to play down IAF Chief`s remarks

Bangalore: Seeking to play down Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne`s unhappiness over delays in defence development projects VK Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister on Thursday said it is a mere "perception of users".

"Honestly there are some gaps that persisted from the last 25 to 30 years. This makes you feel that somebody is complaining about the delay in development projects and it is considered DRDO bashing. I don`t consider it DRDO bashing. It is a statement of perception of users," Saraswat told reporters at Aero India 2013 Show here. The IAF Chief had recently expressed unhappiness over the delays in development projects and also suggested imposition of "financial penalties in case of poor performance of the work centre, either by withholding further payments or recovery of money already spent." Saraswat said there is no such term as "DRDO bashing" because the Defence Research organisation, Ministry of Defence and users are part of the same system. Sarswat said for making an indigenous product there is a tremendous amount of effort required which could lead to success and failure simultaneously. "There is a difference between cooked food and food being prepared. Indigenous development is the same. To prepare food is more difficult than serving already cooked food (or fast food)," he contended. It is a fact of life that development process will take time, Saraswat said. Saraswat said users have now realised that final products cannot be made without having changes and hence they have started looking at spiral development. "Once that has happened, I think the perception (of delay in delivery of defence projects) will also vanish," he said. Replying to a question, Saraswat said it is good idea to use already developed system for avoiding delay in project delivery, but by doing so it would lose the meaning of development. "If you use already developed products, you can only make modifications," he said. Saraswat said making improvements in an imported system is a much difficult task as it has not been designed and manufactured by importing countries and moreover there is absence of information on the imported system. Responding to cancellation of many ventures forged with foreign partners, Saraswat said in cases of highly security concerned areas, sometimes there is a restraint which is not negative. PTI