He was 86 and leaves behind a daughter and son. The funeral would take place on Tuesday.
Sethna, a nuclear scientist and chemical engineer, was
responsible for setting up of India’s first plutonium plant at Trombay in 1959. He was also the director of Indian Rare Earth in Kerala before moving to Mumbai. He retired as AEC chairman in 1984 and served as chairman of Tata Power from 1989-2000. He was also a director in the Board of Tata Sons, Bombay Dyeing and few more companies.
Sethna was the AEC chairman when India conducted its first nuclear test at Pokhran on May 18, 1974. He was a recipient of the country’s second highest civilian award - Padma Vibhushan. The Uranium Mill at Jaduguda in Bihar was set up under his guidance in 1967. He was also the Project Manager of 40 MW Canada-India Reactor (CIRUS) in 1956-58.
Published 06 September 2010, 08:58 IST