Shekhar Basu appointed as Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission

Renowned scientist Shekhar Basu has been appointed as the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
He will replace R K Sinha who superannuates on 23 October 2015. He will have tenure till September 19, 2016 i.e. till he attains the age of 64 years.
Prior to this appointment Mr. Basu was Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Chief executive of the Nuclear Recycle Board (NRB).

Achievements of Shekhar Basu

• Instrumental in setting up waste management and reprocessing facilities at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.
• Credited for commissioning land-based Nuclear Submarine Propulsion Plant (NSPP) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.
• One of the architects of India’s 80 megawatt (MW) compact pressurised water reactor (PWR), which will power country’s nuclear-powered submarine Arihant.
• Instrumental in setting up India Neutrino Observatory (INO) and Power Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Plant at Tarapur.
• Awards: Padma Shri.

About Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)

• AEC is the governing body of the DAE which is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister.
• It was established in 1948 to look after atomic energy activities in the country.
• Functions: (i) Organise research in atomic scientists in India (ii) Train atomic scientists in the country (iii) Promote nuclear research in commission’s own laboratories (iv) Undertake prospecting of atomic minerals and extract such minerals for use on industrial scale.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2015