ISRO employees write to chairperson, seeking clarification over proposed plan to transfer ops; Congress slams Centre

Employee associations at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have now raised concerns over the space agency's plan to transfer certain manufacturing and operational responsibilities to private companies.

ISRO employee associations write to chairman: Here's why

Seeking official clarification from ISRO Chairperson V Narayanan, at least nine employee associations wrote a letter to the ISRO chairman dated September 4, raising concerns over the agency's future role and the consequences for current employees and future recruitment, PTI reported on Sunday.

The nine employee associations included the ISRO Staff Association, SHAR Employees Association, ISAC Employees Association, ISRO Staff Association LPSC, ISRO Staff Association-BBU, NRSA Employees Union, Space Employees Association-BBU, ISRO Staff Association-IPRC and SAC Employees Welfare Association.

The letter said, "Private participation in defined commercial activities can coexist with a strong, publicly owned ISRO. What cannot be accepted without debate is a policy that reduces ISRO to a residual R&D (research and development) boutique while the realisation of the nation's launch vehicles and the operation of its launch infrastructure pass out of public hands."

The letter referred to comments made by Pawan Goenka, chairperson of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), on August 21. IN-SPACe is responsible for promoting, enabling, authorising and supervising space activities of non-governmental companies.

At a public event, IN-SPACe chairperson reportedly said, "Eventually, ISRO will not make any launch vehicles and will not manufacture any launch vehicles. That will all be done by the private sector or PSU."

However, the employee associations said Goenka's remarks were not followed by any official communication from the Department of Space outlining the approved policy, its legal and administrative framework, implementation timeline, or implications for the existing workforce and future public-sector recruitment.

The employee associations added, "Technology developed by ISRO is a national asset. Its transfer must be transparent, accountable, and consistent with strategic, safety, and employment considerations -- not presented to employees through newspaper reports."

They also sought clarity on whether the design, development, production, integration, testing and launch of PSLV, LVM3, SSLV and future launch vehicles would remain under the space agency or be transferred elsewhere. The employees also raised concerns over the implications of the proposed shift for sanctioned strength, existing vacancies, recruitment calendars and the induction of scientific, technical, administrative and industrial manpower across all ISRO centres.

Congress slams Centre over proposed ISRO transfer

After the ISRO employee associations wrote to the chairman seeking clarification, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh slammed the Centre, accusing the government of deliberately circumscribing ISRO's role in the name of encouraging startups.

Sharing a screenshot of a media report about the employee associations' letter to the ISRO chief, Jairam Ramesh wrote, "In the name of encouraging startups in the space economy, ISRO's role is being deliberately circumscribed by the Modi government. Worse, capabilities it has built up over decades in a painstaking manner are to be transferred to private companies whose long-term commitment is doubtful."

The developments have now put the spotlight on the government's plans for ISRO and an official confirmation from V Narayanan.

(with PTI inputs)