Sekhar Basu takes over as the new AEC cheif

Sekhar Basu was recently appointed as the new Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Mr. Basu will also be Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

He was till now Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay, Mumbai. He was earlier Chief Executive of the Nuclear Recycle Board. Sekhar Basu made a name for himself as the Project Director of the Nuclear Submarine Programme under which Arihant was built and he was responsible for developing the 80 MWt Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) which propels Arihant. He was also responsible for the design, development, construction and operation of plutonium reprocessing plants at Tarapur in Maharashtra and Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu.

Basu played an important role in the development of the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) slated to come up in Tamil Nadu.

He has also been guiding the setting up of a nuclear fuel cycle park which includes research reactors, fuel fabrication plants and reprocessing facilities on the Visakhapatnam campus of BARC. The Indian Atomic Energy Commission was first setup in August 1948 in the Department of Scientific Research. Later on, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was established in the Department of Atomic Energy. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was setup on August 3, 1954 under the direct charge of the Prime Minister through a Presidential Order. The other Members of the AEC are appointed on the recommendation of the Chairman, AEC and after approval by the Prime Minister.