New Delhi: Renowned scientist Shekhar Basu was on Friday appointed as Atomic Energy Secretary and Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission. He will have tenure till he attains the age of 64 years, i.e. September 19, 2016, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said. Basu, who is presently Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and chief executive of the Nuclear Recycle Board (NRB), will replace RK Sinha who superannuates on October 23.
Basu, who was instrumental in setting up reprocessing and waste management facilities at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam, is a recipient of Padma Shri. He has been credited for commissioning land-based Nuclear Submarine Propulsion Plant at Kalpakkam. He is one of the architects of India's 80 mega watt compact Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR), which will power Arihant, the country's nuclear-powered submarine.
After taking over as Director of BARC in 2012, Basu has been associated with research in engineering sciences covering physics, chemistry, biomedical, materials and others to develop and apply technology for energy, health, food and agriculture sectors.
He was assigned the responsibility of nuclear recycle programme and constructed reprocessing and waste management plants at Tarapur and Kalpakkam. The Power Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Plant at Tarapur was built under his guidance. He is a recipient of awards from Indian Nuclear Society and Department of Atomic Energy for his significant contributions to the Indian Atomic Energy Programme. Basu is an engineering graduate from Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute in Mumbai.
