PM Narendra Modi Lauds Indigenous Tech As Kalpakkam Reactor Hits Criticality
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called the Kalpakkam fast breeder reactor achieving criticality a historic milestone of India’s nuclear energy journey, and said Indian scientists were advancing the civil nuclear programme and making a significant contribution to nation-building.
During his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ address, the PM also talked about the ongoing Census exercise, wind energy and Indian cheese and hailed Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
Terming the Kalpakkam fast breeder reactor achieving criticality as a “significant achievement” of the country, Modi said India’s civil nuclear programme had greatly helped everyone from agriculture to modern innovators. He stressed that the nuclear reactor is built entirely using indigenous technology.
In a landmark achievement, the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) successfully attained first criticality (start of a controlled fission chain reaction) on April 6, marking a historic step in providing long-term energy security and advancing indigenous nuclear technology capabilities. The PFBRs are a cornerstone of India’s long-term nuclear strategy.
In his monthly radio address, the Prime Minister also stated that India had achieved a major milestone in wind energy, with the country’s wind energy generation capacity exceeding 56 gigawatts. He urged people to save electricity and adopt clean energy.
Talking about the Census exercise, the Prime Minister said that all information provided by the people would remain secure and confidential and appealed to all citizens to participate in the process and make it a success.