Lok Sabha Question No. 5097 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-02
Subject: Technologies Developed by DAE
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Haribhai Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOKSABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 5097 ANSWERED ON 02/04/2025

## TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED BY DAE

## 5097.  SHRI HARIBHAI PATEL

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:-

- (a) the details of technologies being developed by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) specifically for renewable energy integration, medical applications and national security;
- (b) the  key  partnerships  or  collaborations  established  by  DAE  during  the  last  year  to accelerate research and development in these areas;
- (c) the  initiatives  undertaken  for  human  resources  development  including  the  number  of scientists and technical personnel trained during the last three years and the institutions involved; and
- (d) the new projects or initiatives planned by DAE in 2025 for expanding applications of nuclear and allied technologies across various sectors?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) The details of technologies being developed by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) for renewable energy integration, medical applications and national security are given below.

## 1. Renewable energy integration:

Technology has been developed for extraction and purification of samarium (Sm) neodymium (Nd) and rare earth metals, for magnetic applications required in wind turbine.

## 2. Medical applications:

## i. Radiopharmaceuticals: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) a constituent unit of DAE is involved in the

development  of  radiochemicals  and  radiopharmaceuticals  for  various  oncological  and non-oncological  applications.  BARC  has  developed  90Y-labeled  glass  microspheres (Bhabhaspheres) for the treatment of unresectable liver carcinoma, ready-to-use

injections of 177Lu-DOTA-TATE for the treatment of neuroendocrine cancers, 177LuHA  for  radiation  synovectomy  of  medium-sized  joints  and  90Y-HA  for  radiation synovectomy of large-sized joints. These products are regularly supplied through Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT) to various hospitals of the country for the treatment of cancer patients. BARC has also developed the technology for production of high  specific  activity  no-carrier-added  177Lu  and  64Cu  (theranostic  radionuclide) suitable  for  the  treatment  of  cancer  patients.  Additionally,  BARC  has  developed  and started supplying (through BRIT) radiolabelled skin-patches for the treatment of Keloids.

- ii. Ligands for Radiopharmaceuticals:

BARC has developed and deployed peptide-based ligand, PSMA-617, for use in prostate cancer therapy as import substitute. The indigenously developed nuclear medicine ligand, 177Lu-PSMA617 is regularly supplied to hospitals pan India. Synthesis protocols have been optimized for affordable sestaMIBI production and it is regularly used as 99mTcMIBI for heart imaging in Indian patients. Recently, another ligand, PSMA-11 has been developed for production of 68Ga-PSMA11 for diagnosis of prostate cancer.

- iii. Radioprotector for cancer patients:

BARC has developed chlorophyllin based nutraceutical tablets for mitigating the side effects  of  cancer  radiotherapy.  This  Food  Safety  and  Standards  Authority  of  India (FSSAI)  approved  nutraceutical  is  aimed  at  enhancing  the  quality  of  life  for  cancer patients. It has shown remarkable results, particularly in pelvic cancer patients suffering from radiotherapy-induced Cystitis (Blood in urine). The product has been commercialised by licensee.

- iv. Production of radioisotope Lu-177:

BARC  developed  process  for  indigenous  production  of  medically  very  important radioisotope Lu-177 for cancer treatment. The process is being scaled up to ensure India's self-sufficiency in carrier-added Lu-177-based medicines.

- v. Indigenous Digital radiotherapy simulator for tumour localization, radiotherapy treatment planning  and  plan  verification  has  been  developed  for  more  accurate  radiation  dose delivery  leading  to  improved  clinical  performance.  More  than  30  such  machines  are operational.

## vi. NOx based wound dressing:

A cost effective advanced wound dressing, specifically designed for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) and other chronic wounds, has been developed. It enables in-situ generation and delivery of therapeutically optimised nitric oxide (NOx) to promote wound healing. The technology has been transferred to two private firms and approval of Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has been obtained for manufacturing & commercialisation.

## vii. Bio-available curcumin formulation (CUR-Gel):

Curcumin,  the  active  constituent  from  turmeric  is  well-proven  immunomodulatory  and anti-inflammatory agent for general health benefits. However, its therapeutic efficacy is limited  due  to  poor  bioavailability.  The  intended  formulation  has  been  designed  to facilitate the curcumin absorption through buccal cavity and to improve its bioavailability. The know-how of the technology has been transferred.

- viii. The proton beams from 30 MeV Medical Cyclotron Facility (MCF) at Chakgaria campus, Variable  Energy  Cyclotron  Centre  (VECC)  Kolkata,  is  producing  radioisotopes  / radiopharmaceuticals (in collaboration with BRIT), which are used for cancer diagnostics.
- ix. Commercial production and supply of Radiopharmaceuticals, 18F-Sodium Fluoride (for bone scanning), and Gallium-68-PSMA (for diagnostics of Prostate cancer) have been started.
- x. Production and successful human application of Thallium-201-Chloride Radiopharmaceuticals  has  been  (for  conducting  Cardiac  studies,  diagnosis  of  brain tumour) successfully carried out first time in India.
- xi. Production of various radio-pharma products, such as, PET radiopharmaceutical, Copper64-Chlodide, SPECT radioisotopes Iodine-123 and Lead-203, have been initiated on trial basis  Jointly  with  Board  of  Radiation  &  Isotope  Technology  (BRIT)  at  the  Medical Cyclotron Facility.
- xii. VECC is also engaged in the development of first indigenous 18 MeV Medical Cyclotron (MC18) in India in collaboration with BARC.
- xiii. Magnetocardiography (MCG) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG): Magnetocardiography (MCG), is complementary to Electrocardiography (ECG), being used  for  functional  heart  imaging.  It  is  sensitive  even  under  rest  condition  to  detect coronary ischemia. Using this system, various research investigations have been carried

out on both healthy volunteers and on patients with different cardiac dysfunctions from DAE hospital,  Kalpakkam  and  JIPMER,  Puducherry.  These  investigations  are  aimed towards highlighting the unique diagnostic information provided by MCG which is not readily observed in those of the conventional voltage based techniques like Electrocardiogram (ECG).

- xiv. Thermal Imaging for Early Detection of Breast Cancer - Technique has been applied for early detection of breast cancer successfully as an adjunct imaging modality in rural area and is now proposed on a larger scale.
- xv. Radio-isotope Production: The indigenous production of Sr-89 is an important societal need and a valuable import substitution; it is a pure beta emitter with a half-life of 50.5 days and used for palliative care of bone metastatic cancer. Production of Sr-89 with high specific  activity  at  Fast  Breeder  Test  Reactor  (FBTR),  Kalpakkam  was  successfully demonstrated.  The product satisfied all the Quality Control Parameters as per the US, European  and  International  Pharmacopeia.  Bio-distribution  study  in  progress.  This technology ensures increased availability and complete import substitution.
- xvi. Pilot scale production of radio isotopes (Y-90 & P-32) for the benefits of society was initiated during April, 2024
- xvii. 'Mobile Health - Wellness Program for the Rural Population' is being implemented in the rural areas with DAE developed Technologies.
- xviii. Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) has developed the following technologies for medical applications:
- Tuberculoscope  -  A  low-cost  fluorescence  imaging  device  for  rapid  diagnosis  of tuberculosis (TB).
- OncoDiagnoScopeTablet computer based, user-friendly portable optical spectroscopic device for screening/ diagnosis of oral cavity cancer.
- Raman Probe - The Raman probe is meant for in situ measurement of good quality Raman spectra from low Raman-active materials like biological tissues.
- Vision Enhancement Module (VEM) - A low-cost fluorescence imaging tool for invivo screening/diagnosis of malignant and potentially malignant lesions of human oral cavity.
- NeelBhasmi  -  UV  based  area  sanitization  device  to  inactivate  various  microorganisms including corona viruses.

## 3. National security:

- Indigenous Cargo Container Scanner system has been designed and developed. This is a dual energy-based gantry type system which can be used at land ports. A demonstration unit was operationalised at BARC.
- BARC has developed Ballistic Resistant (BR) jackets utilizing indigenously developed HotPressed Boron Carbide (HPBC) and Carbon Nanotube (CNT) technologies which are ~20% lighter than the existing jackets. The Level-III BR jackets weighs around 4.8 kg with trauma less  than  20  mm,  whereas  Level-III+  BR  jackets  with  boron  carbide  backed  with  CNTpolymer composite weighs around 6.5 kg with trauma less than 15 mm. This technology has been transferred to MIDHANI and 3 more reputed companies for large scale production.
- Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) a constituent unit of DAE is involved in  the  development  and  deployment  of  compact  Ion  Mobility  Spectrometer  (IMS)  at important security posts as an import substitute, for trace level detection of explosives and narcotics, by taking swab samples.

## (b) The key partnerships or collaborations:

RRCAT has signed MoU with Lord's Mark Industries Pvt. Ltd., Thane, Maharashtra for translation  of  RRCAT  technologies  (Tuberculoscope,  OncoDiagnoScope,  Raman  Probe, Vision Enhancement Module (VEM)) to industries with collaborative work to improve the product qualification by regulatory bodies.

## (c) The initiatives undertaken for human resource development:

- Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) provides training to the Trainee Scientific Officers (TSOs)  in  BARC  Training  School  under  one-year  'Orientation  Course  for  Engineering Graduates  and  Science  Postgraduates  (OCES)'  programme.  This  training  programme  is continuing since 1957. These TSOs are selected from various disciplines of engineering and basic sciences. The data for last three years is listed in the table-1 below.

Table-1: Number of TSOs joined the OCES programme in last three years

| Year              |   2024 |   2023 |   2022 |
|-------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| Total TSOs joined |    201 |    171 |    163 |

Various  Institutions  of  the  Department  of  Atomic  Energy  (DAE)  are  part  of  this  training programme e.g., BARC, IGCAR, RRCAT, NFC, AMDER etc.

Apart from OCES, a total 140 scientific and technical personnel have been recruited either directly or through Category-I and Category-II training in the last three years. Breakup of the appointments is given in the table-2.

Table-2: Number of scientists and technical personnel joined directly or through Category-I and Category-II training in last three years

| Sr. No.   | Designation                              |   Nos. |
|-----------|------------------------------------------|--------|
| 1         | Scientific Officer/D                     |      5 |
| 2         | Sub-Officer B                            |      1 |
| 3         | Technical Officer/C                      |     56 |
| 4         | Scientific Assistant/B                   |     18 |
| 5         | Nurse/A                                  |     19 |
| 6         | DPOF/A                                   |      9 |
| 7         | Scientific Assistant/C (2 through CAT-I) |     22 |
| 8         | Technician/B (3 through CAT-II)          |      8 |
| 9         | Technician/D (2 through CAT-II)          |      2 |
| TOTAL     | TOTAL                                    |    140 |

A total of 428 trainees in Category-I and 850 trainees in Category-II joined BARC recently and  are  under  training. BARC also  provides  opportunities  for  project  trainees  and  PhD students.

- Management  Development  Programme  by  Administrative  Training  Institute,  DAE  at GCNEP, Bahadurgarh during 27.01.2025 to 30.01.2025. Number of Scientists and Technical personnel trained: 02
- Capacity Building Training Programme oraganised by ATI, DAE in collaboration with Arun National  Institute  of  Financial  Management,  Faridabad  during  02.09.2024  to  04.09.2024. Number of Scientists and Technical personnel trained: 01
- Initiatives  are  continuously  undertaken  at  IGCAR  for  human  resource  development.  The number of scientists and technical personnel trained during the last three years is tabulated below:

*Training under progress

| Training                                                                     | Brief Description                                                      | No. of Personnel trained   |   No. of Personnel trained | No. of Personnel trained   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|
| Programme                                                                    |                                                                        | 2024                       |                       2023 | 2022                       |
| Orientation Course for Engineering Graduates &Science Postgraduates ( OCES ) | One year orientation programme for Trainee Scientific Officers (TSO's) | 20                         |                         29 | 20                         |
| Directly recruited Officer Training                                          | 3 months class room orientation                                        | --                         |                         27 | --                         |
| Stipendiary trainee CAT-I (Diploma level)                                    | 6 months of class room training & 18 months of on-the-job training.    | 79*                        |                         58 | 66                         |
| Stipendiary trainee CAT-II (Technician level)                                | 6 months of class room training & 18 months of on-the-job training.    | 77*                        |                         68 | 71                         |

- Total 20 scientific officers were trained at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology ( RRCAT) in last 3 years.
- Trade  Apprenticeship  Scheme  at  RRCAT  (TASAR)  is  a  long-term  skill  development program  being  run  at  RRCAT  since  2018.  It  is  implemented  by  Directorate  General  of Training (DGT), MSDE under 'The Apprentices Act, 1961' to impart on-the-job-training to ITI and school pass-outs. In the last three years, nearly 175 ITI passed students in various trades have successfully completed  the training  at  RRCAT  and  awarded  National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) by DGT .
- (d) The new projects or initiatives planned by DAE in 2025:
- R&D for development of technologies in the applications of nuclear and allied technologies is a continuous process pursued under various projects. BARC has planned to pursue around 50 projects/ initiatives in year 2025.  These projects are mainly aligned with the Amritkaal targets & Nuclear Energy Mission.
- Design  and  development  of  a  30  MeV  Medical  Cyclotron  (MC30)  and  a  10  MeV  PET cyclotron (MC10) and development of Gamma Camera for medical imaging these projects have been planned by VECC under new projects in 2025
- Upgradation  of  critical  components  of  Fast  Breeder  Test  Reactor  (FBTR)  towards  life extension of the reactor

- Upgradation of sodium and water test facilities for troubleshooting and testing of critical systems of FBRs
- Extending technical support for integrated commissioning activities of PFBR leading to first approach to criticality and further operation
- Pilot scale production of radio isotopes (Y-90 & P-32) for the benefits of society
- Preliminary studies and inputs for the preparation of detailed project report for FBTR-II, a metal fueled FR along with reprocessing
- Testing and development of critical components and systems for the upcoming FBR-1 &2 as well as future FBRs
- Establishment of state-of-the-art facility for growth and characterization of single crystals for varied  applications  like  radiation  detectors,  non-destructive  examination  applications  and other sensors
- Green hydrogen production by copper-chlorine cycle developed by BARC and coupling with sodium systems in offline mode.

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