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Assessing the Mission Mode (MM) projects of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has flagged time and price overrun in completion of projects, irregular closure of projects declaring them successful despite non-achievement of a number of key targets and parameters, and taking up of new projects for realising the unachieved targets of earlier closed projects declared as successful.
“In 119 out of 178 projects, the original time schedules could not be adhered to. In 49 cases, the additional time was in fact more than 100% of the original time frame. Overall, the delays ranged from 16% to 500% and extension of time for completion of projects was taken multiple times. Time overruns in completion of MM projects, where technologies are either available or easily accessible, defeats the purpose of taking them up as an MM Project,” CAG stated in a efficiency audit on ‘Management and Outcome of Mission Mode Projects in DRDO’, the report of which was tabled in Parliament on December 21.
Out of 86 projects declared as successful throughout January 2010 and December 2019, in 20 projects involving an expenditure of ₹1,074.67 crore, a number of key goal(s)/parameter(s) was/weren’t achieved, the report famous.
Mission Mode (MM) projects are taken up by DRDO as high-priority projects based mostly on particular person necessities with a particular timeframe for their completion. These projects depend upon applied sciences which can be already accessible, confirmed and readily accessible inside DRDO/India or from overseas at a brief discover.
The report highlighted that despite the truth that MM projects have a really excessive consequence certainty on account of prepared availability of underlying know-how, there have been appreciable delays in initiation and sanction of such projects by DRDO.
Stating that there have been irregular delays in submission of Administrative Closure Reports starting from 15 to 112 months, the report stated, “Out of 86 successfully closed projects, in 25 projects, the Transfer of Technology (ToT) has not been concluded or production has not started even after five to 12 years of successful closure of projects.”
Though the onus for non-conclusion of ToT and non-production of programs/objects will not be completely with DRDO, nonetheless, well timed initiation and shut interplay with person providers may have resulted in additional beneficial outcomes, the CAG stated.
Instead of in search of extension of time to realize all the important thing targets/parameters of the venture proposal, these projects had been closed as successful. The report has identified that DRDO had taken up 15 projects costing ₹516.61 crore to perform the unachieved targets of comparable earlier closed projects it had declared successful.
The report introduced out inefficiencies within the planning course of by DRDO in addition to raised points of insufficient monitoring of the MM projects by the DRDO noting that the inefficiencies in total venture administration have resulted in a number of cases of price overruns, over-assessment of anticipated advantages of projects, and delay in submission of closure reviews.
The report additional famous that comparable to delay in productionisation of successful projects defeats the very function of taking up such projects. There was additionally an absence of synergy between the DRDO and the providers which resulted in divergent views on the qualitative necessities, deliverables, and outcomes of person trials, the CAG famous, including that this affected the general success charge of the MM projects.
