The Department of Space (DoS) has directed major Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) centres not to routinely accept resignation or voluntary retirement requests from Group ‘A’ scientific and technical personnel associated with Gaganyaan and other critical national missions, following reports that more than 100 scientists have left the organisation in recent months.
Issued through an internal memorandum dated July 14, the order centralises approval of such requests with the DoS, reversing a 2020 policy that allowed centre directors to approve many exits.
The government says the move is intended to prevent disruptions to strategically important projects, while ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan has maintained that ongoing missions remain on schedule and that responsibilities are being reassigned where necessary.
Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has also described the measure as an administrative step, stating that personnel movement is a normal part of any organisation. The development comes as India prepares for ambitious missions, including its first human spaceflight under Gaganyaan, while balancing the challenge of retaining highly skilled scientific talent.
Retaining Talent For National Missions
The DoS memorandum was circulated to several key ISRO centres, including the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, where a significant number of reported resignations have emerged.
Under the revised process, centre directors have been instructed to forward resignation or voluntary retirement requests from scientists working on critical missions to the Department of Space for a final decision instead of approving them locally. The memorandum reportedly notes that the recent “spate” of resignation requests has the potential to affect projects of national importance.
Reports indicate that between 100 and 120 scientists may have left ISRO in recent months, although the Department of Space has not officially confirmed the figure. Addressing concerns, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said that while employees do leave, the organisation has mechanisms to ensure projects continue without disruption. “Yes, a lot of people go, but that’s part of every organisation… if someone is still going, someone else will take responsibility.
We’re taking care of it,” he was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, Dr. Jitendra Singh downplayed suggestions of a crisis, describing the revised approval process as a precautionary administrative measure rather than evidence that ISRO’s programmes are under threat.
Growing Retention Challenge
The latest directive effectively reverses an administrative relaxation introduced in 2020, when ISRO had empowered heads of its centres and units to approve resignations and voluntary retirement requests for many scientific personnel.
The decision reflects growing concern over the loss of experienced engineers and scientists working on long-term programmes such as Gaganyaan, India’s first human spaceflight mission, alongside satellite, launch vehicle and planetary exploration projects.
At the same time, India’s space ecosystem has changed significantly, with a rapidly expanding private space industry creating new career opportunities for experienced professionals. While neither ISRO nor the government has officially attributed the reported resignations to any specific reason, experts have pointed to factors such as higher salaries, greater career flexibility and increasing private-sector opportunities.
The government’s latest intervention therefore represents an attempt to preserve institutional knowledge and project continuity while India pursues some of its most ambitious scientific goals. The episode has also sparked wider conversations about whether administrative controls alone can address long-term talent retention, or whether broader reforms in research careers, recruitment and workplace conditions will ultimately prove more effective.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
India’s space programme has become a source of national pride because it has consistently demonstrated that scientific excellence thrives through knowledge, collaboration and dedicated public service.
Protecting critical missions is undoubtedly a legitimate responsibility of the government, particularly when years of expertise are invested in complex programmes such as Gaganyaan. However, retaining talented scientists cannot depend solely on making it harder to leave.
Sustainable institutions are built by creating workplaces where people choose to stay because they feel valued, supported and empowered to innovate. As India’s public and private space sectors grow together, the challenge is not to view them as rivals, but to build an ecosystem where both strengthen the country’s scientific future.
How can India best balance the continuity of nationally important missions with creating an environment that inspires its brightest scientific minds to build long-term careers in public research?
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