Parliamentary panel asks DSIR to seek additional fund to ensure SARAS project completed without delay

The parliamentary panel report tabled in Parliament said it recognises the need for an additional allocation of at least Rs 100 crore to the department, in addition to the allocation made in BE 2022-23.

New Delhi: Taking into cognizance the importance of the SARAS project in facilitating air connectivity of underserved areas, a parliamentary standing panel has asked the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research to seek additional funds so that the project is completed without any delay. SARAS, a multi-role light transport aircraft, is aimed at meeting the requirements of executive transport, air ambulance and other community services. The DSIR told the parliamentary panel that due to this shortfall some research initiatives in the field of COVID-19, Green Chemicals and fuels; Hydrogen Mission; Regional Transport Civilian Aircraft (SARAS); waste to wealth technologies, etc., may face hurdles in implementation.

The parliamentary panel report tabled in Parliament said it recognises the need for an additional allocation of at least Rs 100 crore to the department, in addition to the allocation made in BE 2022-23. The panel underlines the importance of timely completion of projects and, therefore, recommends the department should review the capital requirements of the projects and explore internal budgetary reallocations to ensure availability of funds for the projects, it said. It also recommended that, if required, the department should seek additional funds from the Finance Ministry at the supplementary/RE stage so that the department can sustain key programmes, especially initiatives on research and development and Regional Transport Aircraft -- SARAS.

The department informed the Committee that CSIR-NAL has completed the preliminary design activities. Civil works contracts for the construction of certain test facilities have been awarded and purchase orders for various subsystems have been placed. Taking into cognizance the importance of the SARAS project in facilitating air connectivity of underserved areas and its application in various military, para-military and disaster management operations, the panel sought to know whether enough funds have been allocated for the year 2022-23 for this project.

"In response, the department submitted that during the financial year 2022-23, CSIR has to provide fund support of Rs 95.06 crore to the project which is a requirement for ensuring the effective and timely completion of the project. "Thus a minimum additional fund requirement for Rs 47.10 crore in Grant in aid-Capital and Rs 47.96 crore in Grant in aid-general is definitely required as additional fund support for the project," it said.

The committee accordingly recommended that the Department should be given an additional fund of at least Rs 95.06 crore to ensure that activities relating to the development of SARAS are completed without any further delay. "The committee expressed its concern over less budgetary allocation for the development of SARAS and strongly urges that the department be provided enough budgetary support so that the completion of SARAS can be ensured at the earliest," it said.

PTI