A New Nuclear Renaissance for a Viksit Bharat@2047

India is standing at a turning point in a race to Viksit Bharat @2047. A new nuclear renaissance seems to be starting to take shape. But quietly, and powerfully heading forward. The recent Union Budget has set aside ₹20,000 crore for expanding our nuclear power capacity. This is not just adding another number in the budget. It is a message for the country. A message that India is willing and ready to dream big again.

In continuation to the above, as per some reports in media, a new bill is likely to be placed before the Parliament soon. It aims to modernize our nuclear laws, encourage faster deployment of nuclear reactors, and open the doors for new partnerships. Personally I feel, this step is very important. It will help proceed India build modern reactors, Small Modular Reactors, and advanced technologies that can give us clean, steady, and affordable power. Of-course it will definitely boost economy of the country. It will help us move closer to our goal of becoming a Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

But making the laws and setting aside the budgets alone cannot start a renaissance. People of the country need to do it and our education system through universities must take the lead. For many years, nuclear physics has remained hidden in classrooms and in old lab manuals.

Students often do not see its beauty and understand in proper perspective. They do not feel its excitement of experimentation. This must change. Teachers need to bring stories into the classroom, the story of the atom, the story of discovery, the story of how nuclear science heals patients, lights our homes and most importantly protects the nation, .

Our university labs also need a new life. Many of the laboratories have old equipment, broken setups, and experiments that no longer inspire. Students cannot fall in love with nuclear science by reading alone the theory of how nucleus was discovered. They must touch the detectors. They must record spectra. They must see radiation tracks with their own eyes. Modern labs with gamma detectors, neutron kits, cloud chambers, radiation dosimeters, and digital data systems can transform learning. A good lab can ignite a spark that stays for life.

Courses must change too in accordance with the requirements of the students for job orientation in the subject. They must reflect today’s world i.e., reactor safety, nuclear medicine, fuel cycles, radiation protection, simulation tools, nuclear policy, and real-world applications. Special courses may be initiated. When a student sees how nuclear science connects to society, they begin to feel its purpose. All these changes matter because India needs a new generation of nuclear thinkers. There has already been a gap in this area.

Scientists, engineers, medical physicists, reactor designers, safety experts, all of them need to think differently. The future of our energy requirements, health, security, and technology depends on them. And they will come only when we show them the beauty and the promise of this field.

Today, as the nation prepares new policies and investments, we have a rare chance. A chance to rebuild our nuclear dream. A chance to light up classrooms, laboratories, and young minds. A chance to build a confident and creative India with young generation full of dreams.

If we act now, with heart, with clarity, and with courage, this nuclear renaissance will not remain a dream. It will become the strength of a rising nation. And its glow will carry us towards a truly Viksit Bharat.

The author of the blog is Prof. Dr. B. P. Singh, an experimental nuclear physicist with over 30 years of teaching and research experience in the field of nuclear physics.