Vijay Kumar Saraswat is an Indian

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosop ...

who formerly served as the Director General of the

Defence Research and Development Organisation The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) (IAST: ''Raksā Anūsandhān Evam Vikās Sangaṭhan'') is the premier agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, ...

(DRDO) and the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Indian

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

. He retired on 31 May 2003 and presently member of

NITI Aayog The NITI Aayog (; abbreviation for National Institution for Transforming India) serves as the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India, and the nodal agency tasked with catalyzing economic development, and fostering cooperative ...

i.e. Planning Commission of India and

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties an ...

. and President of

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum, is an Institution of National Importance established by an Act of Parliament in 1980. It is under the aegis of Department of Science and Technology, Governm ...

Saraswat is the key scientist in the development of the

Prithvi Prithvi or Prithvi Mata ( Sanskrit: पृथ्वी, ', also पृथिवी, ', "the Vast One") is the Sanskrit name for the earth, as well as the name of a devi (goddess) in Hinduism and some branches of Buddhism. In the Vedas, her ...

missile and its induction in the

Indian armed forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by th ...

. He is a recipient of the

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

and

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

from the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

Early life

Born on 25 May 1949 in Danaoli locality in Gwalior, Saraswat completed his Bachelors in Engineering from

Madhav Institute of Technology and Science Madhav Institute of Technology and Science, formerly known as Madhav Engineering College and commonly referred to as MITS Gwalior, is a government-aided autonomous institute founded in 1957 and located in Gwalior in the state of Madhya Pradesh, ...

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

, M.P. He earned a

Master of Engineering A Master of Engineering (abbreviated MEng, M.E. or M.Eng.) is either an academic or professional master's degree in the field of engineering. International variations Australia In Australia, the Master of Engineering degree is a research de ...

degree from

Indian Institute of Science The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute was ...

(IISc) followed by a Doctorate in Propulsion Engineering from

Osmania University Osmania University is a collegiate public state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1918 , He released a farman to establish OSMANIA UNIVERSITY on the day of 28 August 1918. ...

Honors

Saraswat is fellow of National Academy of Engineering, Aeronautical Society of India, Astronautical Society of India, and Institution of Engineers. He is a member of governing council of SAMEER and member of Board of Research of AICTE, CSIR labs, and board of studies of Osmania University. He is chairman, Combustion Institute (Indian Section), and Aeronautical Society of India (Hyderabad Branch). Dr. Saraswat is a forerunner in the development of number of critical missile technologies that were under denial due to the

Missile Technology Control Regime The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is a multilateral export control regime. It is an informal political understanding among 35 member states that seek to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology. The regime was formed ...

, thus making India self-reliant in Missile Technologies. He has headed various committees of national importance. Saraswat is the recipient of

DRDO The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) (IAST: ''Raksā Anūsandhān Evam Vikās Sangaṭhan'') is the premier agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, ...

Scientist of the Year Award – 1987, National Aeronautical Prize – 1993, DRDO Technology Transfer Award – 1996 and Performance Excellence Award – 1999. For his outstanding contributions to the Nation, he has been conferred with

in 1998 and

Padma Bhusan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in 2013. In January 2010 & December 2012 he was awarded with honorary doctorate from

Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat National Institute of Technology Surat (SVNIT or NIT Surat), is a public technical university established by the Parliament of India in 1961. It is one of 31 National Institutes of Technology in India recognized by the Government of India as a ...

SRM Institute of Science and Technology SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), formerly SRM University, is a private higher education institute deemed to be university, located in Kattankulathur, Chengalpattu (near Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1985 as SRM Eng ...

Chennai and

Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTU Hyderabad) is a public university, located in Hyderabad, Telangana. Founded in 1965 as the Nagarjuna Sagar Engineering College, it was established as a university in 1972 by ''The Jawah ...

respectively. He received the Aryabhata Award in 2011.

Issues and Controversies

After internal audit reports and CAG raising red flags over many of V. K. Saraswat's decisions, the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

decided to impose severe restrictions on his financial powers.

in 2013 turned down his extension as DRDO's Chief.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saraswat, V. K. Scientists from Madhya Pradesh Living people Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering 1949 births Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Osmania University alumni People from Gwalior district Indian military engineers Indian Institute of Science alumni 20th-century Indian engineers