Daijiworld Media Network – (PTI) 
  
Mangalore Dec 2: India holds one of the largest human resource pool of experts in nuclear science and technologies, but the country needs more professionals in coming years in the sector due to expanding nuclear power programme, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Dr Anil Kakodkar said here.

Indian scientists had made significant contributions in the areas of pressurised heavy water reactors, fast breeder reactors and thorium utilisation technologies, he said delivering the fifth annual convocation address at the National Institute of Technology, Karnataka (NITK) here on Saturday.

India earned the 'observer' status in the European Organisation for Nuclear Research for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project. This was a rare distinction for the country as very few countries outside Europe have received it, he said.

'We are now an equal partner in the International Thermo-nuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project along with six others' he said. The LHC and ITER are world's largest research and technological projects, he said.

Kakodkar said in view of the increasing demand for professionals in the nuclear sector, the DAE has enhanced the budget several fold in the last few years to facilitate coordinated research.

The UGC-DAE consortium for scientific research has now been broad-based to cover any area of scientific research of mutual interest, he said.