परमाणु खनिज अन्वेषण एवं अनुसंधान निदेशालय

A glittering book-release ceremony was held in the Multipurpose Hall, Training School Hostel, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai on 27.08.2022 as part of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) Iconic Week celebrations under the banner of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM). The Chief Guest Dr. R. Chidambaram, Former Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India and Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) & Secretary, DAE released the book titled ‘The Story of Uranium in India’ authored by Dr. R.K. Garg and Dr. D.S. Shukla in the august company of Shri K.N. Vyas, Chairman, AEC and Secretary, DAE; Dr. A.K. Mohanty, Director, BARC and former senior scientists of DAE Dr. R.K. Garg, Dr. D.S. Shukla, Dr. M. Ramanamurthy and Dr. S.K. Mehta. The audience comprised several retired and serving senior scientists and officials of various DAE units including Dr. Rajesh Vatsa, Head, Public Awareness Division, DAE and Special Invitee Dr. D.K. Sinha, Director, Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD).

On this occasion, Dr. D.K. Sinha delivered an invited talk on ‘Uranium in Earth Cycle and in Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Its Journey’. Dr. Sinha gave a broad perspective of the origin of uranium in the earth followed by its concentration in the Earth’s crust by various geological and geochemical processes leading to formation of a variety of deposits in diverse geological domains. He also highlighted the various techniques of exploration and the constraints encountered during exploration and mining of uranium in the country. He mentioned the close linkage of AMD in all the three phases (front, middle and end) of the closed Nuclear Fuel Cycle and the steps involved in the journey of uranium from ore to fuel, emphasizing the close synergy between AMD, UCIL, NFC, NPCIL and BARC during this journey. The invited talk generated much interest among the audience and Dr. Sinha responded to a few queries posed by the audience members during high tea at the end of the function.

In the sidelines of the function, Shri K.N. Vyas released a Special Commemorative Volume on the ‘Proceedings of Webinar Series on Atmanirbharta in Science’ – a collection of scientific articles based on transcription of 10 invited lectures by eminent Padma Awardee Indian scientists. The webinar series was organized by AMD in association with Indian Nuclear Society, Hyderabad Branch as part of year-long AKAM celebrations. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Vyas congratulated AMD and INS, Hyderabad Branch for conceptualizing and organizing the webinar series and complimented Dr. Sinha and his editorial team for the immense effort in publishing the Special Commemorative Volume. Dr. Sinha informed that the lectures were conducted in hybrid mode (virtual / physical) to ensure wider reach. The proceedings were webcast live in the virtual platform so that students, researchers, academicians and scientists from all disciplines could join the proceedings from across the country to listen to the inspiring views of the distinguished speakers and interact with them. He said that this publication will serve posterity and inspire young aspirants with the culture of basic and applied sciences. Following the release, Shri Vyas presented a copy of the Special Commemorative Volume to Dr. Chidambaram, one of the prominent guest speakers in the webinar series, and other dignitaries.