India became the first country to launch an atomic energy programme in 1954.
Shortly after the Independence, a group of Indian scientists led by physicist Homi Bhabha convinced Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to invest in the development of nuclear energy. The subsequent 1948 Atomic Energy Act led to the creation of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission “to provide for the development and control of atomic energy and purposes connected therewith.
India designs and builds Asia’s first nuclear reactor – Apsara nuclear reactor – in 1956.
Apsara is the oldest of India s research reactors. It was designed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and was built with assistance from the United Kingdom, which also provided the initial fuel supply, consisting of 80 percent enriched uranium.