Who is M R Srinivasan, man who pioneered India’s nuclear power programme?

Mumbai: In 1955, when Dr M R Srinivasan joined the Indian nuclear establishment in Mumbai, he was just 25. However, he got the chance to work with the legendary Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the Father of India’s nuclear programme.

Dr Srinivasan had served as the Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (ARC) and Secretary to Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and was the founder-Chairman of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).

Along with Dr Bhabha, a young Dr Srinivasan played a key role in construction of India’s first nuclear research reactor, Apsara, which achieved criticality in August 1956.

One 24 January 1966, Dr Bhabha passed away in a plane crash in the Alps, he had already planned what has to be done ahead in the decades to come.

Dr Srinivasan was part of Dr Bhabha’s team - and later he championed India's nuclear power programme.

Dr Srinivasan worked with legends like Vikram Sarabhai, Dr Homi Sethna, Dr Raja Ramanna, Dr P K Iyengar, Dr R Chidambaram and Dr Anil Kakodkar - to name a few.

In the post Bhabha-Sarabhai leadership, Dr Srinivasan stands out.

The Bengaluru-born Dr Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan (5 January 1930 - 20 May 2025), passed away in Ooty, aged 95, on Tuesday, leaving behind a rich legacy.

He completed his schooling at the Intermediate College, Mysore in the science stream where he chose Sanskrit and English as his language for study. Despite physics being his first love, he joined the newly started engineering college (currently UVCE) by M Visvesvaraya, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1950.

He subsequently completed his master's in 1952 and was awarded a doctor of Philosophy degree in 1954 from McGill University, Montreal, Canada. His field of specialization was gas turbine technology.

He joined the DAE in 1955.

In August 1959, Dr Srinivasan was appointed Principal Project Engineer for the construction of India’s first atomic power station.

His leadership continued to shape the nation's nuclear program when, in 1967, he took charge as Chief Project Engineer of the Madras Atomic Power Station.

Dr. Srinivasan held several key positions of national importance. In 1974, he became Director of the Power Projects Engineering Division, 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 the country.

In 1987, he was appointed Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy.

That same year, he became the founder-Chairman of the NPCIL. Under his leadership, 18 nuclear power units were developed—seven of which were operational, seven under construction, and four in the planning stage.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to India’s nuclear energy program, Dr. Srinivasan was awarded the Padma Shri (1984), Padma Bhushan (1990) and Padma Vibhushan (2015).

“Dr. M. R. Srinivasan leaves behind a legacy of visionary leadership, technical excellence, and unwavering service to the nation. His contributions to India’s nuclear energy landscape will be remembered for generations to come,” said Suhas Naik-Satam, General Secretary, National Centre for Science Communicators.

Srinivasan was a senior advisor at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna from 1990 to 1992.

He was a Member of the Planning Commission, Government of India from 1996 to 1998, looking after the portfolios of Energy, and Science & Technology. He was a Member of India's National Security Advisory Board from 2002 to 2004 and again from 2006 to 2008.

He was also Chairman, Task Force on Higher Education, Karnataka from 2002 to 2004.

Srinivasan is Founder Member of World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO); Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineering and Institution of Engineers (India) and Emeritus Fellow of Indian Nuclear Society.