The Atomic Energy Commission of India is the governing body of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE),

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

. The DAE is under the direct charge of the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

. The Indian Atomic Energy Commission was set up on 3 August 1948 under the late Department of Scientific Research. A resolution passed by the Government of India later replaced the commission by "Atomic Energy Commission of India" on 1 March 1954 under the Department of Atomic Energy with

Homi J. Bhabha Homi Jehangir Bhabha, (30 October 1909 – 24 January 1966) was an Indian nuclear physicist, founding director, and professor of physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Colloquially known as "Father of Indian nuclear pro ...

as secretary and more financial and executive powers, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The functions of the Atomic Energy Commission are: (i) to organize research in atomic science in the country (ii) to train atomic scientists in the country (iii) to promote nuclear research in commission's own laboratories in India (iv) to undertake prospecting of atomic minerals in India and to extract such minerals for use on industrial scale. India achieved a major success in terms of breakthrough in science and technology when the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) detonated an underground nuclear device at

Pokhran Pokhran is a village and a municipality located, outside of Jaisalmer city in the Jaisalmer district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a remote location in the Thar Desert region and served as the site for India's first underground nucle ...

in the deserts of Rajasthan on 18 May, 1974. It has five research centres in India viz. *

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is India's premier nuclear research facility, headquartered in Trombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by Homi Jehangir Bhabha as the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET) in January 1 ...

(BARC), Mumbai * Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu) *

Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology The Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology is a unit of Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, engaged in R&D in non-nuclear front-line research areas of lasers, particle accelerators and related technologies. History On 19 Fe ...

(RRCAT), Indore *

Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre The Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) is a research and development unit of the Department of Atomic Energy. The VECC is located in Kolkata, India and performs research in basic and applied nuclear sciences and development of the latest n ...

(VECC), Kolkata * Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), Hyderabad. It also gives financial assistance to autonomous national institutes doing research in the field and has various other organisations under it.

History

List of Chairpersons of Atomic Energy Commission of India : Homi Bhabha (1948–1966) :

Vikram Sarabhai Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai (12 August 1919 – 30 December 1971) was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan ...

(1966–1971) : H.N. Sethna (1972–1983) :

Raja Ramanna Raja Ramanna (28 January 1925 – 24 September 2004) was an Indian physicist who is best known for his role in India's nuclear program during its early stages. Having joined the nuclear program in 1964, Ramanna worked under Homi Jeha ...

(1983–1987) : M.R. Srinivasan (1987–1990) : P.K. Iyengar (1990–1993) :

R. Chidambaram Rajagopala Chidambaram (born 11 November 1936) is an Indian Physicist who is known for his integral role in India's nuclear weapons program; he coordinated test preparation for the Pokhran-I (1975) and Pokhran-II (1998). Previously served ...

(1993–2000) :

Anil Kakodkar Anil Kakodkar (born 11 November 1943) is an Indian nuclear physicist and mechanical engineer. He was the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and the Secretary to the Government of India, he was the Director of the Bhabha Atomic ...

(2000–2009) : Srikumar Banerjee (2009–2012) : Ratan Kumar Sinha (2012–2015) :

Sekhar Basu Sekhar Basu (20 September 195224 September 2020) was an Indian nuclear scientist who served as the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). He also served as the Dir ...

(2015–2018) : K.N. Vyas (2018-)

References

{{authority control Government agencies of India 1948 establishments in India Nuclear power in India Government agencies for energy (India) Organisations based in Mumbai Government agencies established in 1948 Governmental nuclear organizations