Faced with exodus of defence scientists from the country, the government has started talent hunt for highly qualified Indians abroad in order to reverse the brain drain.
"Non Resident Indians having relevant qualification and experience in Engineering or basic sciences are being inducted into the Defence Research and Development Organisation under a talent hunt scheme," Defence Minister A K Antony informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The talent hunt is being conducted through video-conferencing on adhoc basis and the posts subsequently advertised for regular inductions, he said.
The minister said the speed-process inductions were conducted three to four times a year to increase the intake of talented NRIs.
His remarks came as official figures tabled in Parliament showed that for the last seven years, DRDO engaged in strategic weapons systems for the country was facing an exodus rate of over six per cent every year.
However, the attrition rate crossed an alarming 7 per cent in 2001 and again in 2006, Antony said in a written reply.
To arrest this trend, the minister said a performance based incentive package had been mooted for defence scientists and put up to the sixth Central pay commission.
