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What is the salary of Chairman of DRDO? Job Duties & Allowances

Defence Research and Development Organization or DRDO is the backbone of Indian Defence Services. It is a matter of pride that many of the high-end technological advancements have reached us through DRDO and many times, this wonderful organization has tested its limits by completing projects when the timeline, as well as budget, did not allow much freedom. Indian Army and military services and other departments associated with DRDO are the pillars which make the country stand tall even in time of distress. Have you ever wondered how the life of the head of such an important organization would be? This life is not for those leaders who wish to remain seated in a comfortable and luxurious atmosphere. Here, the challenges are much more than profit and loss, the mission is more than increasing the revenue or implementing strategies to boost sales. At DRDO, things are much more than a business organization. As the Chairman of DRDO, the set of role and responsibilities is huge. The departments in DRDO are as follows:

1. Life Sciences (LS)
2. Missiles and Strategic Systems (MSS)
3. Micro Electronic Devices, Computational Systems & Cyber Systems (MED, CoS)
4. Aeronautical Systems (Aero)
5. Human resource and Corporate Management
6. Electronics & Comm. Systems (ECS)
7. Armament & Combat Engg. Systems (ACE)
8. Naval Systems and Materials (NS & M)
9. Technology Management (TM)
10. BrahMos
11. PC & SI,  SAM, R&M and Impl.

Each of the above departments has a Director and above all of them is the designation of Chairman. That gives a fair idea of how much work he has to do. Though there are different managers or directors for different projects, as the Chairman of DRDO, one remains answerable for everything that occurs including the acceptance or rejection of any proposal, development of wireframes, conceptualization, navigation mechanism, deciding algorithms, carrying out trials, etc. As per an interview, the current Chairman of DRDO is significantly involved in missiles programme. He is also responsible for carrying out multi-million deals with foreign and government agencies. In his two years term, Mr Satheesh Reddy aims at delivering projects which have been delayed for long. To sum up, the responsibility of the Chairman of DRDO is to build a world-class defence mechanism and add to the defence and security systems of the nation, that too with limited resources. As of now, Mr Reddy has been allocated a budget of 15,000 crores and around 7500 scientists are working for DRDO. It’s obviously a tough task to streamline these resources and attain maximum productivity. Such a position of respect and responsibility cannot be measured with money, but it is fascinating to know that our great scientists, instead of going abroad and earning in Dollars, choose to stay in the country with whatever remuneration is offered. There’s not much information of the salary package offered to the Chairman of DRDO, but it must be equivalent to that of ISRO, so we are expecting it to be around 2.5 to 3 lac rupees a month. Salaries in such organizations are dependent on years of experience, contribution to different projects etc. Hence, there’s no clarity of what a basic or standard pay scale is for people holding this position in DRDO. A basic level 10 scientist (entry level) receives a basic pay of Rs 56,000 per month along with other allowances that make it near 82,000 per month.