DRDO must be congratulated
22 Sep 2012 10:13 PM GMT
Drdo has done it again, proving to be an institution we could be justifiably proud of. Juts two days after the successful trial of the long-range Agni-IV missile, DRDO testfired the nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile from an island off the Odisha coast. The reach of the missile is said to be 3,000 kms. Though Agni-IV was hailed as a success already, Agni-III was proving to be a difficult customer and the DRDO has failed before to fire it to the desired speed and reach. The first development trial of Agni-III was carried out way back in 2006 but the desired result proved elusive while the subsequent tests in April 2007, May 2008 and February 2010, were all successful. But as a DRDO scientist has told mediapersons after the test, the idea 5th test in the Agni-III series “(was) carried out to establish the ‘repeatability’ of the state-of-the-art missile’s performance.” And for the scientific community, the repeatability of a missile’s range and reach is as much a necessary as the savoury success story of a new missile. And with Agni-IV and Agni-III coming after one another, DRDO can savour the success of its efforts. Both are totally indigenously designed missiles and shows India’s nuclear capability and prowess.
However, the idea is not to display only military brawn but also scientific achievements and here is where DRDO must be congratulated for proving that India has all the capability of doing independent and high end research in military and nuclear technology. In a typically Indian scientific climate, basic research is not encouraged nor honoured and many in India languish under government apathy and resource crunch in spite of their ability to good research. DRDO’s success shows another story: thatif the scientific community is allowed to work and is given adequate resources, they can excel. And repeatedly so.
The irony is that the dissemination of money and the resources are rather skewed. Military technology and security is no doubt considered a high priority for India and this region, restive and competitive, needs technology upgradation and adequate security disbursal, both for offensive and defensive means. But India can have similar success stories in basic and natural sciences too given the capability of it scientists. What they need is some encouragement and availability of resources from the government.
However, the idea is not to display only military brawn but also scientific achievements and here is where DRDO must be congratulated for proving that India has all the capability of doing independent and high end research in military and nuclear technology. In a typically Indian scientific climate, basic research is not encouraged nor honoured and many in India languish under government apathy and resource crunch in spite of their ability to good research. DRDO’s success shows another story: thatif the scientific community is allowed to work and is given adequate resources, they can excel. And repeatedly so.
The irony is that the dissemination of money and the resources are rather skewed. Military technology and security is no doubt considered a high priority for India and this region, restive and competitive, needs technology upgradation and adequate security disbursal, both for offensive and defensive means. But India can have similar success stories in basic and natural sciences too given the capability of it scientists. What they need is some encouragement and availability of resources from the government.
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