“There are no discrepancies in operational safety of nuclear power plants. The Nuclear power plants are operated by highly trained personnel licensed by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), in line with laid down procedures These procedures are periodically reviewed and upgraded as required” says Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh while replying to an unstarred question today in Lok Sabha.

Union Minister of State Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, MoS PMO, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, and MoS Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh shared that in a bid to ensure the well-being of those residing in proximity to these facilities, extensive epidemiological surveys have been conducted.

The Minister categorically mentioned that reputed local medical colleges carry out health assessments for employees and their families living in nearby townships and villages. Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, a leading cancer research center, analyzes the data. These comprehensive studies have conclusively established that the operation of nuclear power plants poses no adverse effects on the surrounding populations.

Highlighting the country's commitment to advancing its nuclear capabilities, Dr, Jitendra Singh shared that there are currently nine nuclear power reactors with a total capacity of 7,300 MW under construction and additionally, plans are in place for twelve more reactors, underscoring a robust expansion strategy.

Dr. Jitendra Singh informed the house that a greenfield facility of Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) is being setup at Rawatbhata, Kota, Rajasthan consisting of PHWR Fuel Fabrication Facility (PFFF) and Zircaloy Fabrication Facility (ZFF)” to produce 500TPY of fuel tubes with an outlay ofRs.4256.20 crores is in advanced stages of completion at Rawatbhata, Chittorgarh Dist.,Rajasthan which is about 50Km away from the city of Kota.

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KSY/PSM