Renewable energy sources, along with nuclear energy, is vital for the long-term growth of India, according to an expert.

Speaking at the annual graduation day ceremony of St Aloysius College in Mangalore on Saturday, Shekhar Basu, Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), said the country is witnessing an impressive growth in GDP. India’s energy consumption is more than that of the world average.

Stating that Indian fossil fuel reserves would be exhausted in the next few decades, he said renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, along with nuclear power, will be the options in the long term for growth and sustainability.

He said Indian economy is getting integrated with the global economy through the process of globalisation. This also throws the challenges of a very high degree of global competitiveness. It is equally important that economic growth and industrialisation remain sustainable, he said.

Basu said radiation technology and nuclear medicine have found increasing application in human healthcare sector. Today radiation is a powerful tool to cure cancer. There is tremendous scope for the young minds to explore career opportunities in societal applications of nuclear technology in industry, he said.

Nearly 1,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students from Science, Arts, Commerce and Management streams of the college were awarded with their degree certificate during the ceremony.

Earlier, addressing the faculty members of the college, he said any endeavour involves risk and so does nuclear projects. Nuclear energy is one of the least risky sources, he claimed. “Safety at nuclear power stations is a culture for us,” he said.

vinayak.aj@thehindu.co.in

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