Government asks ISRO not to routinely accept resignations from mission-critical scientists

The Department of Space DoS has tightened the rules governing resignations and voluntary retirement of Indian Space Research Organisation ISRO scientists and engineers working on missioncritical projects amid reports that more than 100 personnel have left the countrys premier space agency in recent monthsThe move is aimed at ensuring continuity in strategically important programmes including the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission future lunar exploration projects and advanced satellite missionsDepartment of Space issues new directiveIn a memorandum issued this week the Department of Space directed major ISRO centres not to routinely accept resignation or voluntary retirement requests from Group A scientific and technical personnel associated with national missionsThe memorandum said the recent increase in exit requests has the potential to affect the execution of key projectsOf late it is noticed that there has been spate of requests for voluntary retirement and resignation from Group A Scientific Technical personnel of ISRO including those associated with the prestigious Gaganyaan and other important missions projects severely impacting the implementation of projects of national importance the memorandum statedIt further addedIn view of this it has been decided that voluntary retirement and resignation requests from Scientific amp Technical personnel associated with the Gaganyaan and other important Mission Projects may not be accepted as a matter of routineUnder the revised procedure all resignation and voluntary retirement requests from scientists and engineers working on critical missions must now be forwarded to the Department of Space in New Delhi along with detailed recommendations from the respective centre directors for a final decisionThe directive has been circulated to major ISRO establishments including the U R Rao Satellite Centre URSC in Bengaluru and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre VSSC in ThiruvananthapuramNew policy reverses earlier delegation of powersThe latest order marks a departure from guidelines introduced in November 2020 which had authorised directors of ISRO centres and unit heads to approve resignations and voluntary retirement requests for personnel up to the rank of ScientistEngineerSGAccording to reports the new memorandum also instructs centre directors to avoid approving exit requests from personnel involved in strategically important projects until the completion of their assignmentsThe policy aims to retain experienced scientists whose expertise is considered vital for ongoing national missionsISRO chairman says attrition is part of large organisationsResponding to concerns over the reported increase in resignations ISRO Chairman V Narayanan acknowledged that employees had left the organisation but described staff turnover as a normal feature of large institutionsHe said the revised policy is intended to retain experienced personnel while ensuring that key national missions are not affected by sudden departuresWhile the Department of Space has not officially disclosed the number of resignations media reports have estimated that between 100 and 120 scientists and technical experts have left ISRO over the past yearReports highlight departures from key centresThe reported attrition has affected several of ISROs major research and development centresAccording to reports the U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru has witnessed nearly 80 resignations while the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram has reportedly seen at least 20 scientists leave the organisationSome reports have also indicated that scientists associated with flagship programmes including Chandrayaan3 the Space Docking Experiment SpaDeX and the Gaganyaan mission have moved to opportunities in Indias expanding private space sectorIndustry observers attribute the trend to higher salaries greater flexibility and wider career opportunities being offered by private space companiesWorkforce shortages remain a concernOfficial records indicate that ISRO has faced employee attrition over several yearsData presented in Parliament earlier this year showed that the organisations scientific and technical workforce continues to operate below its sanctioned strength with more than 1600 vacancies yet to be filledHistorical records also indicate that nearly 700 employees resigned from ISRO between 2012 and 2024 while a significant number of newly recruited personnel left the organisation between 2004 and 2007Despite the recent departures ISRO has stated that responsibilities are being reassigned internally and that flagship missions including the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme remain on scheduleWith inputs from IANS and PTI