• Veteran nuclear scientist and former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, M.R. Srinivasan passed away in Udhagamandalam on May 20. He was 95. 

• Srinivasan played a key role in the development of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) and the country’s indigenous nuclear energy programme.

• Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan was born on January 5, 1930, in Bengaluru

• He joined the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in September 1955 and began his distinguished career working alongside Dr Homi Bhabha on the construction of the country’s first nuclear research reactor, Apsara.

• Apsara achieved criticality a year later.

• In 1959, he was appointed as the Principal Project Engineer for the construction of India’s first atomic power station. 

• In 1967, he took charge as chief project engineer of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS).

• He held several key positions of national importance, such as the Director of the Power Projects Engineering Division, DAE, and Chairman of the Nuclear Power Board. 

• In these roles, he oversaw the planning, execution, and operation of all nuclear power projects across the country.

• In 1987, he was appointed chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy. 

• That same year, he became the founder-chairman of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). Under his leadership, 18 nuclear power units were developed, seven of which were operational, seven under construction, and four in the planning stage. 

• In recognition of his outstanding contributions to India’s nuclear energy programme, Srinivasan was honoured with Padma Shri in 1984, Padma Bhushan in 1990 and Padma Vibhushan in 2015.

• He published a book titled ‘From Fission to Fusion: The Story of India’s Atomic Energy Programme’.

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