Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan (born 5 January 1930),Profile
asset.org.in; accessed 2 June 2015. is an Indian

nuclear scientist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

and

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

. He played a key role in the development of India's nuclear power programme and the development of the

PHWR A pressurized heavy-water reactor (PHWR) is a nuclear reactor that uses heavy water ( deuterium oxide D2O) as its coolant and neutron moderator. PHWRs frequently use natural uranium as fuel, but sometimes also use very low enriched uranium. ...

. He received the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

Award.

Early life and education

The third of eight siblings, Srinivasan was born in 1930 in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. He completed his schooling at the Intermediate College,

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

in the science stream where he chose Sanskrit and English as his language for study. Despite physics being his first love, he joined the newly started engineering college (currently

UVCE University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) was established in 1917, under the name Government Engineering College, by Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya. It is the fifth engineering college to be established in the country and firs ...

) by M.

Visvesvaraya Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (15 September 1861 – 12/14 April 1962), also referred to by his initials, MV, was an Indian civil engineer, administrator, and statesman, who served as the 19th Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. Visvesvaraya i ...

, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1950. He subsequently completed his masters in 1952 and was awarded a doctor of Philosophy degree in 1954 from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, Montreal, Canada. His field of specialization was gas turbine technology.

Career

Srinivasan joined the Department of Atomic Energy in September 1955. He worked with Homi Bhabha on the construction of India's first nuclear research reactor,

Apsara An apsaras or apsara ( sa, अप्सरा ' lso ' pi, अक्चरा, translit=accharā) is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hinduism and Buddhist culture. They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, litera ...

, which went

critical Critical or Critically may refer to: *Critical, or critical but stable, medical states **Critical, or intensive care medicine *Critical juncture, a discontinuous change studied in the social sciences. *Critical Software, a company specializing in ...

in August 1956. In August 1959, Srinivasan was appointed as Principal Project Engineer in the construction of India's first atomic power station. Following this, in 1967, Srinivasan was appointed as Chief Project Engineer at the

Madras Atomic Power Station Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) located at Kalpakkam about south of Chennai, India, is a comprehensive nuclear power production, fuel reprocessing, and waste treatment facility that includes plutonium fuel fabrication for fast breeder reac ...

. In 1974, Srinivasan was appointed Director, Power Projects Engineering Division, DAE and then Chairman, Nuclear Power Board, DAE in 1984. In these capacities, he was responsible for planning, execution, and operation, of all nuclear power projects in the country. In 1987, he was appointed Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary,

Department of Atomic Energy The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Paramāṇu Ūrjā Vibhāga'') is a department with headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. DAE was established in 1954 by a Presidential Or ...

, with responsibility for all aspects of the Indian Nuclear Program. The

Nuclear Power Corporation of India The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is an Indian public sector undertaking based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is wholly owned by the Government of India and is responsible for the generation of electricity from nuclear power. N ...

was created in September 1987, with Srinivasan as the Founder-Chairman. He has been responsible for a total of 18 nuclear power units, of which seven are in operation, another seven under construction, and four still in the planning stages.

Other responsibilities

Srinivasan was a senior advisor at the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1 ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

from 1990 to 1992. He was a Member of the Planning Commission,

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, ...

from 1996 to 1998, looking after the portfolios of Energy, and Science & Technology. He was a Member of India's National Security Advisory Board from 2002 to 2004 and again from 2006 to 2008. He was also Chairman, Task Force on Higher Education, Karnataka from 2002 to 2004. Srinivasan is Founder Member of

World Association of Nuclear Operators The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) is a not for profit, international organisation with a mission to maximize the safety and reliability of the world’s commercial nuclear power plants. The organization’s members are mainly own ...

(WANO); Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineering and

Institution of Engineers (India) The Institution of Engineers (India) is the national organization of engineers in India. It has more than one million members in 15 engineering disciplines in 125 centers or chapters in India and overseas; it is the world's largest multi-disci ...

and Emeritus Fellow of Indian Nuclear Society.

Awards and honours

Kannada Rajyotsava ''Kannada Rajyotsava'', also known as Karnataka Formation Day or Karnataka Day, is a state public holiday and celebrated on 1 November of every year. This was the day in 1956 when all the Kannada language-speaking regions of south western In ...

award, 2017. *

in 2015 *

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished servi ...

in 1990. *

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...

in 1984 *Diamond Jubilee Award of the Central Board of Irrigation and Power. *Best Designer Award of the

. *Sanjay Gandhi Award for Science & Technology *Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Science & Technology *Homi Bhabha Gold Medal from the

Indian Science Congress Indian Science Congress Association(ISCA) is a premier scientific organisation of India with headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal. The association started in the year 1914 in Kolkata and it meets annually in the first week of January. It has a ...

*Distinguished Alumnus Award by Vishveshwaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore *Homi Bhabha Life Time Award of Indian Nuclear Society.

References

External links

* http://www.asset.org.in/Archtechts%20of%20Indian%20Nuclear%20Programme.pdf * http://dae.nic.in/?q=node/394 * Srinivas Laxman
Dr. M.R.Srinivasan, Former Indian Atomic Chief, Discusses India’s Nuclear Future
August 29, 2011, AsianScientist, (archive.org) * http://www.dianuke.org/understand-liability-srinivasan/ * http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/m-r-srinivasan-why-kudankulam-nuke-plant-is-viable-111100900019_1.html * http://news.oneindia.in/2012/02/02/clear-the-air-on-action-against-scientists-srinivasan.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20130307232409/http://www.nuclearfriendsfoundation.com/nuclear-experts.aspx * http://www.gauravblog.com/?p=1139 {{DEFAULTSORT:Srinivasan, M.R. 1930 births Living people Indian nuclear physicists Indian mechanical engineers Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Nuclear history of India Members of the Planning Commission of India Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in science & engineering Engineers from Karnataka Scientists from Bangalore McGill University Faculty of Engineering alumni University of Mysore alumni Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering 20th-century Indian physicists 20th-century Indian engineers Indian nuclear engineers