Introduction: A Nuclear Vision for Viksit Bharat@2047 As India marches toward its ambitious goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, energy security stands as a pivotal pillar in the vision of Viksit Bharat . Amid the global climate crisis and rising energy demands, nuclear power has re-emerged as a compelling solution. India’s commitment to achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047 is both visionary and necessary—but achieving this requires a strategic shift in policy, participation, and international cooperation. While India’s nuclear energy sector has traditionally been a tightly controlled domain under government monopoly—primarily led by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) —it is now imperative to welcome private sector investments and foreign partnerships. A reformed nuclear ecosystem can unlock the full potential of atomic energy as a clean, reliable, and scalable contributor to India’s net-zero aspiration...
Fukushima Clean-up: 14 Years After the Meltdown, Challenges Remain The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, triggered by the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, remains one of the most challenging nuclear clean-up operations in history. More than a decade later, the progress has been significant, but the road to full recovery is still long and arduous. The complexity of decontamination, fuel removal, and environmental rehabilitation presents immense technical, financial, and political challenges. The Immediate Aftermath: A Crisis Unfolds A magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami, leading to power loss and reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Radiation leaks forced mass evacuations, affecting over 150,000 residents. Initial containment efforts included water injection, debris removal, and radiation shielding. "We were in complete darkness, both literally and metaphorically, in those first few days," said a plant worker...