Dr Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan, former Chairman of the India’s Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has passed away in Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu, at the age of 95.
Dr Srinivasan joined DAE in September 1955 and began a distinguished career working alongside Dr Homi Bhabha on the construction of India’s first nuclear research reactor, Apsara, which achieved criticality in August 1956.
In August 1959, he was appointed Principal Project Engineer for the construction of India’s first NPP. His leadership continued to shape the nation’s nuclear programme when, in 1967, he took charge as Chief Project Engineer at the Madras Atomic Power Station.
In 1974, he became Director of the Power Projects Engineering Division at DAE, and in 1984, Chairman of the Nuclear Power Board. In these roles, he oversaw the planning, execution, and operation of all nuclear power projects across India.
He was appointed AEC Chairman and DAE Secretary in 1987, when he also 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.
“India will always be grateful to him for advancing scientific progress and mentoring many young scientists,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X. In a statement released by the family his daughter, Sharada Srinivasan said his contributions to India’s nuclear energy landscape will be remembered for generations to come. In recognition of his contributions to India’s nuclear energy programme, Dr Srinivasan was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, one of the nation’s highest civilian honours.
He was born in Bengaluru in January 1930. He attended Intermediate College in Mysore, focusing on science and learning Sanskrit and English. With a great interest in physics, he chose to study engineering at the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) in Bengaluru and graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 1950. Afterward, he earned his master’s degree in 1952 and then his Ph.D. in gas turbine technology from McGill University, Montreal, in 1954.
Dr Srinivasan also had an international impact. From 1990 to 1992, he worked as a senior advisor for the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. He was a member of the Planning Commission of India from 1996 to 1998, in charge of Energy and Science & Technology, and sat on the National Security Advisory Board from 2002 to 2004 and again from 2006 to 2008. He was a founder member of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO). “Dr. Srinivasan’s leadership and knowledge will continue to inspire scientists in India,” said Suhas Naik-Satam, General Secretary of the National Centre for Science Communicators.
