Within a year of attaining independence, the Dominion Legislature of India passed the Atomic Energy Act in April 1948 to provide for the development and control of atomic energy. Under this Act, the Atomic Energy Commission was created on 10th August 1948 with three objectives
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- To take steps as may be necessary from time to time to protect the interests of the country in connection with atomic energy by exercise of the powers conferred on the Government of India by the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act
- To survey the territories of the Indian Dominion for location of useful minerals in connection with atomic energy
- To promote research in their own laboratories and to subsidize such research in existing institutions and universities
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The task of survey for atomic minerals, as above, was entrusted to AMD. Under this provision, AMD has
- exclusive right to conduct exploration for uranium, and other prescribed substances such as thorium, beryllium, lithium, zirconium, niobium, tantalum, rare-earths and others like ilmenite and rutile.(Titanium ores and concentrates, ilmenite, rutile and leucoxene, and zirconium, it's alloys and compounds and minerals/concentrates including zircon have been unlisted from the list of Prescribed substances after 1.1.2007). AMD certification of export consignments of Garnet is also not necessary as per DAE vide ID Note No.7/3(5)/2003-PSU/398 dated 18.7.2007.
- exclusive right to buy from private mine owners, prescribed minerals produced incidental to mining of other economic minerals at prices fixed by Government from time to time.
- to carry out R&D on (a) designing and fabrication of radiometric instruments (b) development of new analytical techniques for multi-elemental determination at trace and ultra trace levels and (c) petromineralogical characterization and mineral beneficiation of radioactive ores.