At least 120 scientists have quit the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the last few months, sparking concerns over a brain drain for the ambitious space programme as it enters a critical stage in its career.
The resignations comprise several of the top scientists tied to high-profile projects like the LVM-3 launch vehicle, the SpaDeX docking mission, and Chandrayaan-3, among others, reports said.
The resignations and retirements have reportedly made DoS more stringent with its policy for voluntary retirement and resignations, especially with scientists working on strategic projects like India’s first indigenous human spaceflight project Gaganyaan.
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The DoS has not officially given any reasons for the resignations but several reports indicate that India’s expanding private space industry is creating employment opportunities for experienced ISRO personnel that offer much better salary packages, job growth prospects and working environment.
Other factors that have come to light are concerns about working conditions.
Over the years, former and current staff members have raised concerns about relatively low salaries, high workloads, long hours leading up to mission deadlines, slow promotion, and paperwork.
With private aerospace companies growing in number, many scientists say they have more opportunities outside the government agencies.
The exodus happens at a crucial juncture, as ISRO is poised to undertake critical missions such as Gaganyaan and propel its satellite launch program to new heights while making strides in lunar and planetary exploration.
Several senior scientists have left, so as a result there might be a loss of institutional knowledge and project continuity.
The Department of Space has, in turn, put the approval on record of resignations and voluntary retirement of Group ‘A’ scientists under its purview.
The new policy will require all such requests to be carefully considered before being approved.
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