Government proposed on Friday a hike of over Rs 400 crore in the Union Budget to set up the prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, while Rs 3,152 crore was proposed for the Department of Atomic Energy.
The plan allocation for Bhartiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BHAVINI), which has been tasked to build a 300 Mw prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, has been pegged at Rs 1,400 crore, up from the previous year's revised estimates of Rs 999.70 crore.
The Budget, presented in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, allocated Rs 399 crore for fuel inventory that provides for expenditure on fuel for nuclear power reactors across the country.
The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) is expected to get Rs 223 crore this fiscal as against Rs 190 crore the previous year. IGCAR is the second largest R&D centre of the Department of Atomic Energy.
The emphasis on research was visible as the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research saw its allocation hiked by Rs 54 crore at Rs 220 crore in the Budget.
The Institute of Plasma Research, which also represents the country in the mega science fusion energy project ITER, has seen its allocation rise to Rs 340 crore as against Rs 250 crore the previous year.
Allocation for the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre was also increased to Rs 1,130 crore from Rs 870 crore last fiscal.
