ISRO Resignations: Amid a wave of resignations of scientists associated with the flagship missions of ISRO, the Department of Space (DoS) has tightened rules on voluntary resignation and retirement, reported the Times of India. In an internal memorandum dated July 14, the authority expressed concern over the surge in resignations, further stating that resignation of scientists associated with critical missions should not be accepted routinely.
Around 100 Scientists Quit
While the exact number of resignations has not been disclosed yet, the DoS intervened after noticing a sudden surge in such requests. "Around 80 people have quit from URSC alone. At VSSC, at least 20 people have left. Overall, it could be roughly up to 120, conservatively. There could be more that are at the evaluation stage," the Times of India reported, citing its sources.
The report also suggests that several senior scientists, including LVM-3 project director Victor Joseph and an alleged bright young scientist, who was part of the Chandrayan-3, have also quit. While ISRO chairman V Narayanan acknowledged the situation, he further assured that the organization is well prepared to deal with the situation.
'ISRO Ready To Deal With Situation'
He further stated that along with an effort to retain the scientists, the internal memorandum has also been brought to ensure that the critical missions do not suffer due to the sudden resignations. "But if someone is still going, someone else will take responsibility. We’re taking care of it," Narayanan was quoted as saying by TOI.
However, this is not the first time that the ISRO has witnessed a surge in resignations, as nearly half of the new recruits had resigned between 2004 and 2007. Apart from this, around 700 employees had quit in two years from 2012 to 2014. While the ISRO chairman has assured that the firm is ready to deal with the situation, the internal memorandum suggests that there is a concern regarding the resignation of senior scientists.