Will Dr BK Das be next Chairman, DRDO?

The Central Government is busy in finding a suitable candidate for the post of Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) as Dr Samir V Kamath, the  current Chairman, is superannuating on May 31 after close to three years in office. Dr BK Das, Director General (Electronics & Communication System) in DRDO itself is said to be the frontrunner. He is the senior-most scientist among those in the race. The Screening Committee has reportedly suggested two more names - Suma Varughese, Director General (Micro Electronic Devices, Computational Systems and Cyber Systems), and Ummalaneni Raja Babu, Director General (Missiles and Strategic Systems). But if sources are to be believed, Dr Das has a brighter chance to occupy the plum post. Dr Das, Distinguished Scientist was appointed as Director General (Electronics & Communication System) on 29th April 2022. Prior to this, he was Director, ITR from 2015 to 2020 followed by Director, IRDE. In-between he was Director, DEAL as additional responsibility. He was an integral part of the Indian Missile Program for 33 years and worked relentlessly towards Test and Evaluation of various state of the art Missiles and other airborne Weapon Systems.