Mumbai, May 15 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind today inaugurated an integrated centre for crisis management (ICCM) at the iconic Bhabha Atomic Research Centre here that will help the nation respond more effectively to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies.

The new facility will monitor radiological data from a network of 504 radiation sensors across the country.

Addressing the gathering of atomic scientists at the premier nuclear research facility, Kovind, who also remotely inaugurated three other nuclear facilities of the department of atomic energy, said, “Scientists and the technological community are the real nation- builders, and I salute you.”

Among the other facilities that were inaugurated today include a metal fuel pin fabrication facility jointly developed by BARC and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam, near Chennai, that can increase plutonium production in fast breeder reactors.

The third facility in Hyderabad will help develop high-power electron beam melting furnace for nuclear and strategic applications. This technology is jointly developed by the scientists of BARC and the Nuclear Fuel Complex.

Kovind also inaugurated an integrated enriched boron tri-fluoride gas generation facility developed by the Heavy-water Board in Odisha that will be used in neutron detectors.

That apart, the president launched a multi-leaf collimator system developed by BARC that will enable gamma radiation to be exposed only on cancer-affected organs.

“What is less known to the common people is the work that all of you do for using nuclear technology in the areas of healthcare, food and agriculture, water management and environmental protection.

“Research in nuclear medicine is widely used both for diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes. This system will enhance the effectiveness of treatment of tumours,” he said.

The Department of Atomic Energy also presented a high-yielding dwarf variety of Dubraj mutant rice (Trombay Chhattisgarh Dubraj Mutant-1) to the president. This is the 43rd high-yielding crop variety developed by BARC.

“We’ve some of the best scientific minds in this gathering and your minds must use the power and potential of science to solve the problems of the country and contribute towards realising economic growth along with social justice and equity,” Kovind said.

He also called for increasing nuclear power generation by establishing a robust nuclear energy programme using the country’s vast thorium deposits.

This is published unedited from the PTI feed.

*Original article online at http://www.india.com/news/agencies/prez-launches-integrated-centre-for-crisis-management-at-barc-3056466/

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