DRDO's Mission Mode Projects Plagued By Delays And Performance Issues, Scathing CAG Report Reveals

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has tabled a scathing report on the performance of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Parliament. 

The report is an audit of the DRDO’s ‘Mission Mode Projects’. Mission mode projects are high-priority projects that have to be completed by DRDO under a predetermined time period and cost.

These projects use technologies that are already available to DRDO or could be procured easily from commercial entities. This shortens the time frame of induction of the systems into the armed forces.

The CAG report has pointed out various irregularities in timelines and cost overruns in the report, among other factors plaguing DRDO-run projects. 

Of the 178 projects, 119 faced time overruns. The timelines of these projects were extended multiple times, delaying the development of critical equipment needed by the armed forces.

Moreover, 49 of the projects took double the time to complete. Some projects saw a delay of 500 per cent, the report points out. 

The DRDO also closed projects as successful despite not meeting key parameters, the report finds. Of the 86 projects labeled successful between January 2010 and December 2019, 20 projects were closed without meeting specific key parameters with an expenditure of ₹1074.67 crores, the CAG says in its damning report.  

One example cited by CAG was the case of the development of Advanced Light Towed Array Sonar. DRDO’s Kochi-based Naval Physical Oceanographic Laboratory took up this project in April 2012.

In December 2021, this project was declared successful despite various shortfalls in torpedo detection, layer performance and active and passive sonar function, the CAG report mentions. 

No time extensions were sought by the DRDO for the projects that didn’t meet performance requirements.

The CAG found that the DRDO spent Rs 516.61 crore in order to achieve the goals that had not been achieved in previous projects that were declared successful and closed.

The report also points out the “lack of synergy between the armed forces and DRDO”, “inefficiencies in the planning process”, and “inadequate monitoring of the project”, resulting in “variance in qualitative requirements”, delays and divergent views on outcomes of trials of various systems.

“There were issues with ToT to production partners as well, which delayed production timelines leaving the forces with a gap in their combat capabilities,” the CAG report says.