THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND
PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY)
(a) to (c) All the Indian Nuclear Power Plants in India have built-in design
provisions for automatic shutdown system. These automatic shutdown systems are
fail safe which ensure shutdown of the Nuclear Power Reactors within two seconds.
The task forces / committee set up in Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
(NPCIL) and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) reviewed the safety of all Nuclear
Power Plants (NPPs) in operation and construction in the country in the context of
the Fukushima (Japan) incident and found that Indian Nuclear Power Plants are safe
against the extreme natural events. One of the recommendations of the task forces /
committee was to install systems for initiation of automatic shutdown on sensing
seismic activity. Such systems are already in place in respect of Kakrapar Atomic
Power Station and Narora Atomic Power Station. A roadmap for installation of the
system in remaining Nuclear Power Plants has been prepared for implementation in
a time bound manner.
(d) Nuclear Training Centres, fully equipped with latest training aids and
state-of-art simulators are functioning at nuclear power plant sites to train
personnel on all aspects of safety and operation of nuclear power plants. These
centres provide both initial plant systems specific training and continual
training for enhanced performance. At the training centres simulators have
been installed for hands on training for skill development of operating personnel
in handling all types of situations that could possibly arise in the nuclear
power plants both during normal operation and in emergencies. The operating
personnel are licensed by AERB, after completion of a detailed training, passing
of written examination, completion of checklists, and interviews, before they
are licensed and authorized to operate nuclear power plants. Re-licensing of the
operating personnel is done at stipulated intervals as per AERB guidelines. In
addition, theBARC training school also trains engineers in nuclear science and
engineering. Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a deemed university has also
been established for higher studies in nuclear science and engineering.
(e) The increase in radiation due to operation of nuclear power plants are
a fraction of existing natural radiation at each of the nuclear power plant site
and are well within the limits set by the AERB. Monitoring of radioactivity in
the neighborhood of nuclear power plants and radiological survey of nearby water
bodies (coastal or in land), ground water, food chain including milk, animal
products, fruits, vegetables, sea food and fish are performed by Environmental
Survey Laboratories to ensure that radioactivity level does not exceed limits
stipulated by AERB.
