Talent crunch hits NAL
27 Jun 2008
Bangalore: Globalisation and the consequent opening of the Indian economy have hit state-run research and development (R&D) institutions. According to National Aerospace Labs director AR Upadhya, scientists and engineers across the board have moved on in search of greener pastures.
Bangalore-based NAL is a part of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which falls under the aegis of the ministry of Science and Technology. It has state-of-the-art facilities for designing and developing aerospace technologies, and receives an annual grant of Rs1.2 billion from the funds allocated to the CSIR by the central government.
Upadhya admitted that the NAL has been hit hard by a talent crunch, with a number of its well-trained scientists and technologists resigning or taking voluntary retirement (VRS) in pursuit of opportunities in the more lucrative private sector or multi-national corporations that not only offer more cash, but also professional advancement.
Upadhya said that not too long ago, NAL was a preferred choice of carrer for science and engineering graduates, but the present day story is quite different, with the majority of graduates opting for lucrative careers in information technology (IT) or biotechnology (BT). He said that over the last two years, almost a third of the posts at NAL have remained vacant for want of better talent.
