Nationality Indian Occupation Engineer | Name M. Srinivasan | |
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Born 5 January 1930 ( 1930-01-05 ) Bangalore, Karnataka Awards Padma Vibhushan (2015)
Padma Shri (1984) | ||
Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan (born 5 January 1930), is an Indian nuclear scientist and mechanical engineer. He played a key role in the development of India's nuclear power programme and the development of the PHWR. He received the Padma Vibhushan Award.
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Early life and education
The third of 8 siblings, Srinivasan was born in 1930 in Bangalore. He completed his schooling at the Intermediate College, Mysore in Science stream where he chose Sanskrit and English as the language for study. In spite of Physics being his first love, he joined the newly started Engineering college (currently UVCE) by Sir.M.Visvesvaraya where he obtained a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1950. He subsequently completed his Masters 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.
Career
Dr. Srinivasan joined the Department of Atomic Energy in September 1955. He worked with Dr. Homi Bhabha on construction of India's first nuclear research reactor, Apsara, which went critical in August 1956. In August, 1959, Dr. Srinivasan was appointed as Principal Project Engineer in the construction of India's first atomic power station. Following this, in 1967,Dr. Srinivasan was appointed as Chief Project Engineer at the Madras Atomic Power Station.
In 1974, Dr. Srinivasan was appointed Director, Power Projects Engineering Division, DAE and then Chairman, Nuclear Power Board, DAE in 1984. In these capacities, he was responsible for planning, execution, and operation, of all nuclear power projects in the country.
In 1987, he was appointed Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, with responsibility for all aspects of the Indian Nuclear Program. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India was created in September 1987, with Dr. Srinivasan as the Founder-Chairman. He has been responsible for a total of 18 nuclear power units, of which seven are in operation, another seven under construction, and four still in the planning stages.
Other responsibilities
Dr.Srinivasan was a senior advisor at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna from 1990 to 1992. He was a Member of the Planning Commission, Govt 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. Dr.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.
Awards and honours
Personal life
Dr. Srinivasan is married to Smt. Geetha Srinivasan. Mrs.Srinivasan is a nature conservationist and a wild life activist and President of Nilgiris Wild Life & Environment Association, Ooty, who also happens to be the grand daughter of C.P. Ramaswami Iyer . The couple have two children, Mr. Raghuvir Srinivasan, who currently resides in Helsinki, Finland, and Dr. Sharada Srinivasan, who currently resides in Bangalore, India.