Mumbai: Eminent nuclear scientist Anil
Kakodkar, who played a crucial role in the Indo-US civil
nuclear deal, stepped down as the chairman of the Atomic
Energy Commission (AEC) on Monday.
Kakodkar gave his distinguished services to the
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) for 45 years and also served
as DAE secretary on superannuation.
He played a significant role in the Indo-US and other
inter-governmental civil nuclear cooperations agreements with
great negotiation skills.
Easily approachable, Kakodkar holds the distinction of
getting an extension as AEC chairman three times and held the
post for nine years.
He is the first chairman who initiated talks about
modification of Atomic Energy Act to bring in Indian private
players in the energy sector.
A son of a freedom fighter, the 66-year-old nuclear
scientist always believed in self-reliance, considering import
option only as an additional, and stood firm when US was
trying to move away from their stand on re-processing of spent
fuel from the imported reactors in 2005-06.
He was successful in getting the Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG) waiver for India to carry out nuclear commerce,
integrating the country into the global nuclear market.
-PTI
First Published: Monday, November 30, 2009, 18:42