Who was nuclear scientist Dr MR Srinivasan, architect of India’s atomic energy? | India News

NEW DELHI: Dr Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan, a pioneering determine in India’s nuclear power programme and former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, handed away in Tamil Nadu’s Udhagamandalam on Tuesday on the age of 95. The veteran scientist leaves behind a rare legacy of management and technical brilliance that formed the nation’s self-reliant nuclear capabilities.“His legacy of visionary leadership, technical brilliance, and tireless service to the nation will continue to inspire future generations,” his daughter, Sharada Srinivasan, stated in a press release issued by the household.Born on January 5, 1930, in Bengaluru, Dr Srinivasan was the third of eight siblings. He accomplished his early training in Mysore, learning Sanskrit and English. Despite a powerful inclination in the direction of physics, he enrolled in mechanical engineering on the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE), graduating in 1950. He went on to earn a grasp’s diploma (1952) and a PhD (1954) in gasoline turbine expertise from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.Dr Srinivasan joined the Department of Atomic Energy in September 1955, the place he started working alongside Dr Homi Bhabha on India’s first nuclear analysis reactor, Apsara. He later served as Principal Project Engineer for the nation’s first atomic energy station and performed an important function in constructing the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), which turned the spine of India’s indigenous nuclear energy fleet.Following the premature dying of Dr Bhabha in a airplane crash in 1966, Dr Srinivasan continued to guide key developments in India’s nuclear programme. His management was essential within the development of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) and the enlargement of nuclear energy tasks throughout the nation.In 1974, he was appointed Director of the Power Projects Engineering Division on the DAE, and in 1984, he turned Chairman of the Nuclear Power Board. Under his supervision, India noticed a big enlargement in its nuclear energy capability. He served as Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, DAE, from 1987, and was the founding Chairman of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). Under his management, 18 nuclear reactors had been developed, seven operational, seven below development, and 4 within the planning levels.

Several dignitaries, together with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, and defence minister Rajnath Singh, expressed deep condolences and mourned his dying.