'We need passion for desi technology, products'

Former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair has decried the tendency to prefer imported foreign systems, though they underperform vis-a-vis indigenous technologies and said global companies are setting up R&D units to “exploit” the vast talent pool in the country.

“(Indigenous) industry is slowly catching up and users also have to accept indigenous technology. Even though there is an indigenous product, many of us will run to foreign suppliers.The situation has to change.”

He recalled a “sad plight” where despite availability of Doppler weather radars developed by ISRO, “some user departments wanted to go in for imported option”. Nair said he has seen that some of the imported equipment work for two to three years, after which spares or software updates are unavailable.

“We have to encourage use of more and more indigenous systems. We have to have passion for indigenous technology and indigenous products.” to be used for our requirements”. “Even in Europe and other countries, specialists in many fields are not available,” Nair told reporters on the sidelines of the International Radar Symposium India here.

“So they want to exploit the situation here”, Nair, who earlier addressed the event, said.

“That’s why MNCs are setting up labs and trying to take the talents from here (India)”.