
Top Defence Scientist Gets Another One Year Extension
The Central government on Monday extended the tenure of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Samir V Kamat by one more year, till May 2026.
This is his second extension in the post.
A distinguished scientist, Mr Kamat was appointed as secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D) and the DRDO chairman on August 25, 2022.
He was given one-year extension on May 27 last year, which was to end this month.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension of Kamat's service as DDR&D secretary and DRDO chairman under Fundamental Rule 56 (d) for a further period of one year from June 1, 2025 till May 31, 2026, or until further orders, the Personnel Ministry said.
The rule allows the Central government to extend services of incumbents on select posts in public interest.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Don't burden consumers with tariff hike, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu directs power utilities in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has advised the power utilities not to pass the burden of power tariffs on to the consumers, and instead tap the potential of alternative non-tariff revenue streams, like possibly leasing the AP-Transco's fiber optic network to generate a revenue of nearly ₹7,000 crore. Also, Mr. Naidu calls for a reduction in power purchase from the open market, and bringing down the power Transmission & Distribution (T&D) losses significantly from the present 9%. Addressing a review meeting at his camp office on Wednesday, Mr. Naidu said the T&D losses could be minimised by doing effective feeder management, and since the power consumption was expected to increase by 8.90% in the next two to three years, efforts to generate more Renewable Energy (RE) should be intensified. Green energy generation plans should be made to meet the growing energy requirements, he added. He exhorted the officials to transform Andhra Pradesh into a Green Energy Hub by drawing up appropriate short, medium, and long-term strategies in line with the changing global dynamics. He emphasized the need to reduce the RE production costs, and observed that effective auditing would help in improving power generation, supply, and distribution management. The Chief Minister told the officials to adjust the power generation through constant monitoring of the weather by utilising sensors, drones, and other modern tools. Officials informed Mr. Naidu that consumption had reached 270 Million Units (MU) in March–April this year, and projected that the demand could rise to 12,700 MW between September 2025 and March 2026. Responding, the Chief Minister said efforts should be made to ramp up production and suggested measures by power swapping to reduce purchases. Further, Mr. Naidu said the prevailing cost of thermal power was ₹5 to ₹6 per unit, while wind power costs only ₹4.60 per unit. A.P. had the potential to generate 65 Gigawatts of wind power and there was huge scope for pumped hydropower projects in Rayalaseema, he added. Officials told Mr. Naidu that RE projects worth ₹3.19 lakh crore had been grounded since June 2024. Mr. Naidu ordered that smart meters should not be installed in the agriculture sector and all citizen services provided by the power utilities should be made available through the WhatsApp 'Mana Mitra' platform. He suggested that Central assistance be sought for coal procurement needed by the AP- Genco's thermal units. Energy Minister Gottipati Ravikumar, Chief Secretary and Special CS (Energy) K. Vijayanand, and senior officials from the AP-Genco and AP-Transco took part.


NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Exclusive: DRDO Guest House Manager Was Spying On Top Scientists For Pak
A 32-year-old man working as a manager at a Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO guest house in Jaisalmer was arrested Wednesday for allegedly spying for Pakistan. The accused man, Mahendra Prasad, working as a contractual employee at the guest house for the last five years, had access to personal information, like emails and telephone numbers, of the top scientists, which he is accused to have shared with Pakistan. After a week of intense joint interrogation, the accused was arrested by the Rajasthan police and taken in for a two-day police custody. Mahendra Prasad was the manager at the top secret DRDO guest house inside the Chandan Field firing range in Jaisalmer. This guest house hosts India's top scientists when they come to Pokhran and Chandan for experiments and testing of India's missile and defence systems. No civilian is allowed inside its premises. Its location, somewhere inside the Chandan field firing range, remains a mystery. Intelligence Bureau sources expressed surprise that a person on contract, an outsider, was given the task of managing a high-security guest house. MR Enterprises, a private company, was given the lease to run this guest house, hosting India's top scientists working on secret projects. "It's a serious security breach that as Manager of the guest house Mahendra Prasad was privy to information via letters and emails informing him about the guests who would be visiting Chandan with their names, ranks and in some cases personal details like mobile numbers," a top source told NDTV. The accused had information about scientists and defence personnel staying at the guest house. Sources say Mahendra Prasad passed on this information, in some cases entire emails, to his Pakistani handlers via social media channels and WhatsApp. His handler in Pakistan was a "colonel" with whom he communicated via WhatsApp, say sources. Chandan and Pokhran are two sites in the Thar desert where significant and crucial testing of new weapons and missile systems is held. Mahendra Prasad had access to emails about scientists or defence personnel staying in the guest house, what are their ranks and posts and the duration of their stay. He also knew if a group of scientists were visiting who would be the leader and who would be the subordinates in the team, information that could compromise national security especially since, say sources. Sources added that the may have given the enemy country a fair idea of the trials for defence systems going on in Chandan and Pokhran. The Pinaka Rocket system was one of the projects IB sources believe Mahendra Prasad could have leaked information on. The Pinaka rocket system was tested in Pokhran in April 2022 and again in August 2022. Two phones have been recovered from the accused, who is a native of Uttarakhand. A forensic analysis of his phone has revealed that he was in touch with his Pakistani operatives. Investigating agencies are yet to trace the money trail. However, they suspect that he could have been paid in cash. Mahendra Prasad was working at the DRDO guest house during Operation Sindoor, India's counterstrike for the April 22 terror attack in J&K's Pahalgam, as well, making his arrest all the more crucial for intelligence agencies.


India.com
7 hours ago
- India.com
Masterstroke by Modi government as India expands danger zone for upcoming missile trial in…, it can travel…
Image for representational purposes New Delhi: In a major development, the Modi government has extended a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for a likely missile test scheduled for 20-21 August 2025. According to the reports, the updated notification expands the danger zone to approximately 2,530 km into the Indian Ocean Region, originating from launch sites along the Odisha coast, including Balasore and Abdul Kalam Island. It is important to note that this revision was on August 12 and marks an increase from previous estimates, ensuring enhanced safety for aviation and maritime traffic during the trials. Here are some of the key details: NOTAMs are issued to ensure the safety of civilian air and maritime traffic by marking areas to avoid during live-fire trials. Defence analysts suggest that, given the extended range, this may involve testing advanced systems such as the Agni-6 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or a hypersonic variant. It is important to note that the move aligns with the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) ongoing efforts to enhance missile capabilities. India's push for advanced missile capabilities is a central part of its defence modernisation drive and the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) initiative. In past few years, India has successful tests of long-range systems like the Agni-V — with ranges exceeding 5,000 km This latest test gains significance in the context of evolving strategic dynamics in Asia, particularly with the growing missile capabilities of China and Pakistan. By boosting range and performance, India seeks to reinforce its deterrence posture, enhance second-strike capability, and expand its operational reach throughout the Indo-Pacific.