Interview of Lt Gen JS Matharu (Retd) by Maj Gen (Dr) Ashok Kumar (Retd)
In addition to its current activities, MRO Digest Forums aims to share essential insights on Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) through dialogue with experts. In this dialogue, we have the privilege of welcoming Lieutenant General JS Matharu, a highly distinguished veteran with extensive experience in military vehicle technology. He shares his views on MRO opportunities in India and its potential to enhance Comprehensive National Power.
**Question 1: MRO Opportunities in India**
The dialogue begins with an exploration of MRO opportunities in India. General Matharu expresses his confidence in India’s human resources, stating that the country’s tech manpower is highly sought after by major multinational corporations. He emphasizes the need to leverage India’s world-class human resources for MRO.
**Question 2: Enhancing Comprehensive National Power through MRO**
The discussion shifts towards the concept of Comprehensive National Power (CNP). General Matharu elaborates on the factors that contribute to CNP, highlighting the role of military strength, human capital, science and technology, and knowledge and information. He emphasizes that these factors are influenced by a country’s MRO capabilities and that optimal MRO opportunities can significantly enhance CNP.
**Question 3: Challenges in Military Maintenance**
General Matharu shares his insights into the challenges of military maintenance. He emphasizes the criticality of skills, knowledge, and the ability of maintainers, particularly during wartime when resources are scarce. He highlights the need to train and deploy specialized personnel for maintaining complex military equipment.
**Question 4: Utilizing Veteran Skills**
The discussion continues with the role veterans can play in equipment maintenance. General Matharu discusses the importance of finding ways to utilize the skills of highly trained veterans, who are often beyond a certain age and sitting idle. He emphasizes the need to aggregate and link skilled human resources with the places where they are needed, both locally and globally.
**Question 5: Overcoming Challenges**
General Matharu suggests that lessons learned from military maintenance can be applied to civil industries. He emphasizes the importance of aggregating and linking highly trained human resources and creating MRO hubs in India. He believes this will facilitate the effective utilization of skilled manpower for national development.
**Question 6: Goal Setting for MRO in India**
The dialogue concludes with a discussion on setting goals for MRO in India. General Matharu’s vision is to make India the MRO capital of the world. He points out India’s strategic location and excellent connectivity, making it ideal for creating MRO hubs and exporting skilled MRO personnel. Exporting MRO skills, he believes, can be a significant advantage for India.
**Question 7: Role of MRO Digest Forum**
General Matharu shares his perspective on the role of MRO Digest Forum. He created this platform to bring together MRO professionals from various domains to share their expertise and contribute to India’s quest to become the MRO capital of the world. He encourages MRO experts to participate and share their wisdom on the forum.
The dialogue ends with an invitation for experts to join the MRO Digest Forums and participate in future dialogues to further enrich the knowledge and expertise in the field of MRO in India and beyond.
