Renowned scientist Shekhar Basu has been appointed as Atomic Energy Secretary and Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission. He will have tenure till he is 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).
He was instrumental in setting up reprocessing and waste management facilities at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam and 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 MW 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 to develop and apply technology for energy, health, food and agriculture sectors.