Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM’s remarks on the occasion of the conferment of DAE’s Lifetime Achievement Awards 2011

"I am delighted that we are today honouring four of our most distinguished scientists for their outstanding achievements and very important contributions in the field of atomic energy and, more broadly, to the advancement of science and technology as a whole in our country.

I would like to warmly congratulate Shri K. Balaramamoorthy, Prof. R. Balasubramanian, Dr. R. B. Grover and Dr. S. K. Sikka on being conferred the Department of Atomic Energy`s Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2011. Each one of you is truly worthy of this recognition. I am confident that you will serve as beacons of inspiration for our younger generations of scientists and technologists. I would also like to thank your families, and in particular your wives, for their sacrifices and the support they have provided to you in your endeavours to promote the nation’s well being.

I would also like to compliment the Department of Atomic Energy for instituting these Awards. The DAE works in one of the most complex, sophisticated and challenging areas of science, technology and engineering. Despite decades of facing international technology denial regimes, our scientists and technologists have worked with unfailing commitment, dedication and skill. It is to their credit that India has now mastered advanced technologies and developed indigenous capabilities across the entire nuclear fuel cycle. Their efforts have not only given us deterrence capabilities and nuclear energy, but national capacity to apply the benefits of nuclear science to areas such as agriculture and healthcare.

As we pursue our national growth objectives to meet the rising aspirations of our people, the supply of affordable clean energy will be one of our foremost national challenges and a key priority for our government. Nuclear energy will remain an essential and increasingly important element of our energy mix. We are in the process of expanding our indigenous nuclear power programme. We will reach a new milestone soon, as the first nuclear reactor with Russian collaboration at Kudankulam starts operating, with the second reactor to follow later in the current year.

Even as we implement our power programme, we will continue to ensure that nuclear power remains wholly safe. The Fukushima incident in 2011 raised justifiable safety concerns about nuclear power. I am happy that reviews of all our nuclear power plants have been completed. Our cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency has been enhanced, and the first Operational Safety Review Team recently visited the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station. Parliament is also examining a Bill to set up a new Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority. We will ensure that the safety and livelihoods of people are not jeopardized in our pursuit of nuclear power.

The Department of Atomic Energy was a vital part of our national efforts that led to adjustment of the global nuclear order and reintegration of India into international nuclear commerce for peaceful purposes. I am pleased that DAE is also closely involved in fostering international science and technology cooperation, including through its participation in mega-science projects such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and the Large Hadron Collider. I wish DAE all success in its multiple endeavours.

I am confident that DAE will continue to make valuable contributions to further developing India’s capabilities in nuclear energy and related fields. We should ensure that we continue to attract the best scientific minds among our younger generations to these fields. Even more, I hope that our nuclear scientists would continue to be guided by the basic goal of directing scientific activities to bring about an improvement in the quality of life of our people.

I am very pleased that Dr R Chidambaram is present here. I would like to use this opportunity to pay tribute to him for guiding India’s atomic energy programme with such great distinction. His life and work are a source of inspiration for all scientists and technologists in our country. I once again congratulate the four distinguished recipients of the 2011 DAE Lifetime Achievement Award, and I wish them and the Department of Atomic Energy all the very best.”