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This story is from December 2, 2021

Manpower audit at Isro worries staff; not aimed at reducing numbers, says DoS

Manpower audit at Isro worries staff; not aimed at reducing numbers, says DoS
BENGALURU: The Department of Space (DoS) has constituted an expert committee to audit human resources at Isro, arrive at an assessment of future requirements and make recommendations for optimal deployment of manpower for Research and Development at a time the Centre is implementing reforms in the sector that will also transform the space agency’s role in the coming years.

While whispers about an audit looking into their skill set, projects they are associated with, their age and other details renting the air in corridors and work floors at various centres for the past few months has scientists and engineers worried, the DoS top brass says the committee is only carrying out a periodic exercise as mandated by the DoS secretariat and that there was no need for fear while its report is awaited.
Multiple scientists and engineers TOI has been speaking to said they fear that with Isro’s role set to significantly shift towards R&D and away from production, which at present is intertwined in each centre, there could be rationale for staff reduction.
“The fears are unfounded. The term of the committee is not to reduce existing staff and there will be no reductions. The exercise is aimed at ensuring there’s optimal availability of manpower for all of our future needs. We have multiple big-ticket missions, several futuristic projects, all of which will have requirements. This is only a periodic exercise to determine these needs so that the DoS can put up its demand before the government. Such exercises have been carried out in the past too,” DoS secretary K Sivan said.
Another senior member of the DoS, reiterating that the existing staff numbers — more than 17,000 — won’t be reduced, said that the committee will do its assessment based on inputs from various centres.
The Isro staffers argued that the lack of clarity on the exercise is affecting their morale especially in the post-pandemic economic environment.
“There are several questions. Will some of us be merged with newer organisations being created under DoS like NSIL? What will be the role of IN-SPACe and how will that affect us and so on, which have not been answered adequately. There is also the issue of a recruitment freeze,” a senior scientist who has been with Isro for 25 years, said.

On Wednesday, minister of state in PMO, Jitendra Singh, told the Lok Sabha that recruitments will be made once this (audit committee) exercise is completed as it will ensure that the right set of personnel are recruited to suit the job requirements.
“With the space sector reforms being implemented, greater emphasis is being laid on R&D activities, technology demonstration missions, science and exploration missions, missions of national importance, human space programme and strategic missions realisation by Isro. In line with this, to ensure optimal allocation/redeployment of the existing resources to these activities of the Centres/units, a detailed exercise is being carried out,” Singh said in a written reply.
The DoS member said that based on the assessment, there could be some redeployment of staff. “...But that is natural. For instance, when the Gaganyaan mission was announced, there was redeployment of staff and also fresh hiring. Similarly, in the future, there could be a situation where one centre/unit of DoS has less workload compared to another meriting some redeployment of resources. The overall aim of the exercise is to assess such requirements,” the scientist said.
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Chethan Kumar

As a young democracy grows out of adolescence, its rolling out reels and reels of tales. If the first post office or a telephone connection paints one colour, the Stamp of a stock market scam or the ‘Jewel Thieves’ scandal paint yet another colour. If failure of a sounding rocket was a stepping stone, sending 104 satellites in one go was a podium. If farmer suicides are a bad climax, growing number of Unicorns are a grand entry. Chethan Kumar, Senior Assistant Editor, The Times of India, who alternates between the mundane goings-on of the hoi polloi and the wonder-filled worlds of scientists and scamsters, politicians and Jawans, feels: There’s always a story, one just has to find it.

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