In recent weeks, India has achieved remarkable milestones in space exploration with the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon and the launch of Aditya-L1 towards the sun. These accomplishments filled the nation with a sense of celebration, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi even likening the moon landing to the start of India’s annual festival season.
However, amidst these festivities, approximately 300 employees of the Government of India’s Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) Limited at Kanjikode in Palakkad find themselves in a difficult situation. It has been three months since they last received their salaries, which were issued in July for the month of May.
The employees’ hopes of receiving their overdue salaries were dashed during the Onam festival, despite management promising payment shortly after Chandrayaan-3’s success. Frustration has reached a point where some of the technical engineers from the core team responsible for Chandrayaan-3 resigned to secure employment with private companies contracted by ISRO, highlighting their struggle to survive without timely salaries.
Protests have also taken place, with employees distributing empty envelopes among themselves to signify their unpaid status. The Kanjikode unit, known for its profitability and contributions to manufacturing critical electronic components used in space missions, including Chandrayaan-3, remains in financial turmoil despite its crucial role.
Anil Kumar G, the general secretary of ITI Officers’ Association, pointed out that the fundamental issue lies in a lack of working capital and the policies of both the central government and ITI management. Despite the acknowledgment of their outstanding work, no financial support or packages have been announced to revive ITI, the sole manufacturer in the telecommunication sector.
Financial difficulties at ITI have disrupted components procurement, vendor payments, project execution, and the disbursement of employee salaries and allowances. While a revival package was approved in 2014, it primarily focused on capital expenditure and failed to address the financial crisis in procurement and project management that has contributed to the current situation.
Moreover, the ITI owns valuable property in the Electronic City, rented out to the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT). However, disputes over rent payment and the property’s future use have left the ITI without access to potential funds that could alleviate its financial struggles.
Despite India’s recent space achievements and the pride of contributing to them, the employees of ITI find themselves caught in a financial crisis, highlighting the need for immediate attention and resolution to ensure their well-being and the continuation of their valuable work for the country.
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