Lok Sabha Question No. 2971 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-16
Subject: Power Generation Capacity
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: RAJENDRA AGRAWAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2971

TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2015

## POWER GENERATION CAPACITY

2971.  SHRI RAJENDRA AGRAWAL

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the share of Central funds for research and innovation in the nuclear power sector has increased during the last three years and the current year;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the steps being taken by the Government to enhance research and innovation practices in nuclear energy?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)&(b)  Yes, Sir.  The details of funds released during the last 3 years and in current year are given below:
- (c) Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic  Energy    is  a    multi-disciplinary  Nuclear  Research  Centre  of  India having excellent infrastructure for Advanced Research and Development with expertise  covering  the  entire  spectrum  of  Nuclear  Science  and  Engineering and related areas. A large amount of work involves development of various advanced innovative technologies which are realised after substantial research work carried out by our scientists and engineers.

| Budget Allocation for last three years   | Budget Allocation for last three years   | Budget Allocation for last three years   | Budget Allocation for last three years   | Budget Allocation for last three years   |
|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| ( ` in crore)                            | ( ` in crore)                            | ( ` in crore)                            | ( ` in crore)                            | ( ` in crore)                            |
| R&D Sector                               | 2012-13                                  | 2013-14                                  | 2014-15                                  | 2015-16                                  |
| R&D Sector                               | 5399.13                                  | 6511.89                                  | 6552.60                                  | 7198.63                                  |

A number of steps have been taken by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to enhance research and innovation in nuclear energy.

DAE instituted  Board  of  Research  in  Nuclear  Sciences  (BRNS)  to  facilitate interaction  and  promote  active  collaboration  with  other  premier  institutes, research  laboratories  and  Universities  of  India,  to  enhance  research  and

innovation in the areas of nuclear energy. Research grants are awarded for sponsoring scientific symposia and workshops. BRNS also extends fellowships to young researchers to pursue Ph.D. Dr. K.S. Krishnan Research Associate program of BRNS encourages bright post-doctoral fellows to work in different research organisations of DAE with a possibility to be absorbed for permanent employment. DAE also encourages its young scientists to interact with  outside  world  through  established  bilateral  exchange  schemes  under various National Academies of India, Department of Science and Technology, and its own collaborating routes as well.

DAE  and  the  University  Grants  Commission  (UGC)  had  set  up  UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research at Indore in 1989, functioning under the UGC. The scope of the co-operation includes promoting high quality research programs  in  physical,  chemical,  life  and  engineering  sciences.  While  the Consortium  is  headquartered  in  Indore,  its  Mumbai  centre  is  located  inside BARC,  Trombay.  It  also  has  centres  in  Variable  Energy  Cyclotron  Centre (VECC),  Kolkata  and  Indira  Gandhi  Centre  for  Atomic  Research  (IGCAR), Kalpakkam.  DAE  facilitated  the  UGC-DAE  Consortium  to  set  up  their specialised  centres  in  close  proximity  to  the  respective  DAE  units  in  the above four locations.

BARC has entered into Memorandum of Understanding with Universities of Mumbai  and  Pune.  Under  this  scheme  students  get  opportunity  to  pursue Ph.D Programme in various disciplines under the guidance of specialists from BARC and also utilise the excellent infrastructure to carry out experiments.

Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has also implemented incentive schemes for its scientists/engineers involved in research activities in various multidisciplinary areas.

DAE  has  been  categorised  as  a  mission-mode  Organisation  based  on  its track record, performance, innovations and realisation of strategic programmes. DAE has implemented Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) based on the recommendation of 6 th Pay Commission in all the Units keeping in view the need to reward the performance of the organization and its  personnel  in  realising  predefined  objectives  and  contributions  made towards research and innovation activities.

PRIS is awarded after measuring the performance of Individual/Group/Organization, against goals set for a given period of assessment.

Update  allowance  is  provided  to  Scientists  so  that  they  can  subscribe  to reputed  journals  to  keep  themselves  abreast  with  latest  research  work  and publications. With update allowance scientists can also obtain membership of scientific  societies  which  provide  them  a  good  platform  to  participate  in scientific programs and share their scientific knowledge.

Through  the  DAE  award  scheme,  young  scientists/engineers  as  well  as senior scientists are rewarded  for  their exceptional  contribution to the research  and  innovation  activities  of  the  Department.  The  rewards  include cash incentive, medal and a citation.

As part of physical sciences, BARC is indigenously developing synchrotrons, linear  accelerators  to  carry  out  research  in  high  energy  particle  physics.  A 21m diameter gamma ray telescope designed indigenously is to be installed at Hanle for high altitude research.

BARC is setting up a new Research Centre at Visakhapatnam for green field projects to meet the future demands  for carrying out research and development activities in advanced areas of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) situated in Kalpakkam is also a multi-disciplinary R&D  unit of DAE  entrusted with indigenous development towards mastering of 2 nd stage of the Nuclear Power Programme including Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) and associated closed fuel cycle technologies. The design for 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) has been completed and is at an advanced stage of commissioning at Kalpakkam. The first of its kind Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility (FRFCF), aimed to close the fuel cycle of PFBR is under construction.

In addition to above, Research Associateship and Visiting Scientist arrangements  are  some  of  the  special  schemes  offered  to  the  Young Scientists to pursue research programmes in DAE. They are also encouraged to publish their work in Journals, attend National / International conferences.

Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) located at Indore is  one of the premier research and development unit of DAE working in the area  of  particle  accelerators.  RRCAT  is  also  engaged  in  developing  and deploying lasers of different kinds in the fields of advanced plasma research, nuclear  power  plants,  biomedical  applications,  materials  science  and  basic research.

Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), Kolkata, a constituent unit of DAE entrusted  for  research  in  nuclear  sciences  with  excellent  infrastructure  for advanced research and development in the field of accelerator technology, is involved  in  the  design  and  development  of  advanced  and  sophisticated Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavity technology intended to be used in energy frontier accelerator programmes in DAE.

The  above  steps  have  immensely  helped  in  enhancing  the  research  and innovative activities in the nuclear sector.

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