'Many Have Gone, Many Have Come': Jitendra Singh Dismisses Concerns Over ISRO Mass Exits
'Many Have Gone, Many Have Come': Jitendra Singh Dismisses Concerns Over ISRO Mass Exits Published By, Last Updated: July 16, 2026, 21:10 IST Singh's comments
'Many Have Gone, Many Have Come': Jitendra Singh Dismisses Concerns Over ISRO Mass Exits Published By, Last Updated: July 16, 2026, 21:10 IST Singh's comments came after the Department of Space issued a memorandum directing major ISRO centres to tighten rules on voluntary retirement and resignations. Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh. (PTI File) Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Thursday sought to downplay concerns over reports of a large number of resignations from ISRO, saying the space agency has a large workforce where employees leave and new people join regularly. Responding to questions about the Department of Space (DoS) directive tightening rules on resignations and voluntary retirement at ISRO, Singh said the move was taken for administrative reasons and should not be linked to any controversy. “No, that is because… that is for administrative reasons so that the decision can be taken at a much mature level," Singh told reporters.
He said ISRO has a very large workforce and added, “Many have gone, many have come" and clarified there was no controversy surrounding the matter. DoS tightens rules for exit Singh’s comments came after the Department of Space issued a memorandum directing major ISRO centres to tighten rules on voluntary retirement and resignations of scientific and technical personnel working on important national missions, including the Gaganyaan programme. The directive, issued on Tuesday, said resignation and voluntary retirement requests from Group ‘A’ scientific and technical personnel should not be accepted routinely. “Of late, it is noticed that there has been spate of requests for voluntary retirement and resignation from Group ‘A’ Scientific/ Technical personnel of ISRO including those associated with the prestigious Gaganyaan and other important missions/ projects severely impacting the implementation of projects of national importance," said the memorandum. “In view of this, it has been decided that voluntary retirement and resignation requests from Scientific & Technical personnel associated with the Gaganyaan and other important Mission/ Projects may not be accepted as a matter of routine," it added.
Such requests from scientists and technical personnel, even at or below the rank of scientist and engineer, must now be sent to the Department of Space with “clear recommendations" from their directors for a final decision, according to the memorandum. The directive was issued to major ISRO centres, including the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). It applies to scientists and engineers working on major projects where their departure could impact mission timelines. (With inputs from PTI) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Key Questions Answered What impact could these new rules have on ISRO's projects? New rules tightening voluntary retirement and resignation procedures for ISRO scientists working on critical missions like Gaganyaan could impact project timelines and continuity. Will tightening exit rules affect ISRO's talent acquisition? Union Minister Jitendra Singh stated that tightening exit rules for ISRO is for administrative reasons and not due to controversy, downplaying concerns over resignations.
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