Atomic energy
If a house has too little electricity, new sources must be found. In the same way the country decided to use atomic energy to increase power and food.
Atomic energy is the energy in the nucleus of the atom; it can be used for power generation, agriculture, industry and medicine. India set up a commission in 1948 to use it for peaceful purposes.
Key idea 1 : Indian Atomic Energy Commission — Prime Minister Nehru wanted to promote scientific temper. So on 10 August 1948 he set up the Atomic Energy Commission and appointed Dr Homi Bhabha as the first chairman. Its aims were power generation and increasing and preserving food grains.
Key idea 2 : Reactors and centres — In 1956 the reactor ‘Apsara’ started; in 1969 an atomic power station was set up at Tarapur. At Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu a centre was set up to use thorium. Heavy water plants started at Vadodara, Talcher, Tuticorin and Kota.
Key idea 3 : Dhruva and the power corporation — In 1985 the completely Indian-made ‘Dhruva’ reactor started at Trombay near Mumbai. Many radioactive substances used in industry, agriculture and medicine are produced here. In 1987 the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) was set up.
- Easy : Who was the first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission? — Dr Homi Bhabha.
- Medium : When was the Tarapur station? — In 1969.
- Exam-type : When was NPCIL set up? — In 1987.
In the figure: Important years in atomic energy.
What happened before the Apsara reactor started? Dr Homi Bhabha founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1945, and the Atomic Energy Commission was set up in August 1948.
What happened after the Apsara reactor started? On 4 August 1956 Apsara, India’s first nuclear reactor, began working at Trombay. In 1969 the Tarapur station in Maharashtra began producing nuclear electricity.
48 commission; 56 Apsara; 69 Tarapur; 85 Dhruva; 87 NPCIL.
Apsara and Dhruva are not the same; Apsara is of 1956, Dhruva of 1985.
Memory clue: Commission-Apsara-Tarapur-Dhruva-NPCIL. Memory clue: “commission, Apsara, Tarapur, Dhruva — one step at a time”.
Spot the difference
| Body/Reactor | Year | Place/Work |
|---|---|---|
| Atomic Energy Commission | 1948 | Chairman Dr Bhabha |
| Apsara | 1956 | First reactor |
| Dhruva | 1985 | Trombay; Indian-made |
Practice questions
- 1Who set up the Atomic Energy Commission and when?
- 2State the objectives of the commission.
- 3When did the Apsara reactor start?
- 4For what was the Kalpakkam centre set up?
- 5State the speciality of the Dhruva reactor.
- 6Why was NPCIL established?
- 7Explain why Nehru established the Atomic Energy Commission.
- 8In which fields does atomic energy help? Give examples.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Pandit Nehru on 10 August 1948.
- 2Producing electricity, increasing and preserving food grains.
- 3In 1956.
- 4To generate atomic power using thorium.
- 5It is completely Indian-made.
- 6To master the technology of generating safe, cheap and environment-friendly power.
- 7To promote the nation’s progress and scientific temper.
- 8Power, agriculture, industry and medicine.
Nuclear tests and missile development
If a neighbour becomes strong we also increase our own preparation. In the same way India carried out tests and developed missiles for self-defence.
A nuclear test means testing a nuclear explosion. A missile is a guided weapon that strikes a distant target.
Key idea 1 : Pokhran nuclear tests — On 18 May 1974 India did its first nuclear test at Pokhran in Rajasthan; Prime Minister Indira Gandhi took the decision, Dr Homi Sethna and Dr Raja Ramanna played a major role. Pokhran was chosen as it is far from human settlement and has no ground water. The second test was on 11 May 1998; three explosions took place that day and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee assured that India would not be the first to use nuclear weapons.
Key idea 2 : Missiles and DRDO — In 1958 the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was established; Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam is called the ‘Missile Man’. In 1988 Prithvi and in 1989 Agni were tested; in 1990 ‘Akash’ and the tank-destroying ‘Nag’ were developed.
Key idea 3 : Resolve for self-reliance — As per the textbook after the 1974 test the USA imposed economic sanctions and refused to give space, communication and missile technology. So India ran its own missile programme and gained a place alongside nations like the USA, Russia, France, China and Germany.
- Easy : When was the first nuclear test? — 18 May 1974.
- Medium : When was Agni tested? — In 1989.
- Exam-type : Who is the ‘Missile Man’? — Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
In the figure: Timeline of tests and missiles.
What happened before the 1974 Pokhran test? After Bhabha’s death in 1966 about 75 scientists and engineers worked on this from 1967 under physicist Raja Ramanna. The test was kept secret.
What happened after the 1974 Pokhran test? The test was done at 8:05 in the morning on 18 May 1974; India called it a “peaceful nuclear explosion”. After this the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was formed in 1975 and restrictions came on export of nuclear technology to India.
What happened before the IGMDP? In July 1983 the central government approved the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Kalam, who had been the project director of SLV-3 at ISRO, became director of the DRDO laboratory and it was decided to develop five kinds of missiles together.
What happened after the IGMDP? On 25 February 1988 Prithvi was first tested from Sriharikota and in 1989 Agni flew with re-entry technology. The programme was declared complete in 2008.
1974 first test; 1988 Prithvi; 1989 Agni; 1998 second test.
Pokhran was not only once; two tests, 1974 and 1998.
Memory clue: 74-88-89-98 = test-Prithvi-Agni-test. Memory clue: “74 test, 88 Prithvi, 89 Agni, 98 test”.
Spot the difference
| Missile | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Prithvi | Surface to surface | 1988 |
| Agni | Long range | 1989 |
| Akash / Nag | Surface-air / anti-tank | 1990 |
Practice questions
- 1Where and when did India conduct its first nuclear test?
- 2Why was Pokhran chosen as the place?
- 3Why is Kalam called the ‘Missile Man’?
- 4When were Prithvi and Agni tested?
- 5What happened before and after the 1974 test?
- 6State the importance of IGMDP.
- 7Why did India start its own missile programme?
- 8Prepare a table of four missiles with type and year.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1At Pokhran in Rajasthan, on 18 May 1974.
- 2Because it is far from human settlement and has no ground water.
- 3Because he made great contributions to missile production.
- 4Prithvi 1988; Agni 1989.
- 5Before: the work of Ramanna’s team; after: the 1975 NSG and restrictions.
- 6It laid the foundation to develop five kinds of missiles within the country.
- 7Because the USA refused technology; India wanted to be self-reliant.
- 8Prithvi - surface-surface - 1988; Agni - long range - 1989; Akash - surface-air - 1990; Nag - anti-tank.
Space research
To learn something new in school a laboratory must be built first. In the same way for space research launch centres and institutions had to be built.
Space research means studying and using space with the help of rockets and satellites. India’s space research is carried out through ISRO.
Key idea 1 : Thumba and the first rocket — As per the textbook the Indian National Committee for Space Research launched India’s first research rocket from the Thumba Equatorial Launch Centre in Kerala. In 1967 the indigenous rocket Rohini-75 succeeded. On 15 August 1969 ISRO was established; its headquarters is at Bengaluru and the Sriharikota centre in Andhra Pradesh is used for launching satellites.
Key idea 2 : Aryabhatta to Bhaskar — In 1975 with the help of Soviet Russia India’s first satellite ‘Aryabhatta’ was launched; this proved that Indian scientists can build and launch satellites themselves. In 1979 ‘Bhaskar-1’ and in 1981 ‘Bhaskar-2’ remote sensing satellites were launched from Russia; they began to give information about water, minerals and weather.
Key idea 3 : APPLE and INSAT — On 19 June 1981 the first completely indigenous satellite built by ISRO, ‘APPLE’, was launched from French Guiana. In August 1983 ‘INSAT-1B’ went into space; it brought a great revolution in telecommunication, television, radio and weather forecasting, and 207 Akashvani stations could be connected to each other.
- Easy : When was ISRO established? — 15 August 1969.
- Medium : Which was India’s first satellite? — Aryabhatta (1975).
- Exam-type : When was INSAT-1B launched? — August 1983.
In the figure: Timeline of space research.
What happened before the Thumba launch? Vikram Sarabhai chose Thumba because it is near the magnetic equator. The local community gave the St Mary Magdalene Church and land for the launch station; rocket parts were assembled in the church and the priest’s house became the control room.
What happened after the Thumba launch? On the evening of 21 November 1963 an American-made Nike-Apache rocket (with French instruments) was launched from there. After Sarabhai’s death the centre came to be known as the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. (the textbook gives 1961 for the first rocket; check with the book)
What happened before the Aryabhatta launch? In 1972 India and Soviet Russia signed an agreement for satellite launch. Converting industrial sheds at Peenya near Bengaluru into laboratories, the team of Udupi Ramachandra Rao built a satellite of about 360 kg with many faces.
What happened after the Aryabhatta launch? On 19 April 1975 a Soviet rocket launched it from Kapustin Yar; it carried experiments such as X-ray astronomy and solar physics. It re-entered Earth’s atmosphere in February 1992, that is it stayed in orbit about 17 years.
69 ISRO; 75 Aryabhatta; 79 Bhaskar; 81 APPLE; 83 INSAT.
Though Aryabhatta was launched by Russia it was built in India; and APPLE was fully indigenously built.
Memory clue: 69-75-79-81-83 = ISRO, Arya, Bhaskar, APPLE, INSAT. Memory clue: “ISRO sent Arya-Bhaskar, then the apple and INSAT”.
Spot the difference
| Satellite/Body | Year | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Aryabhatta | 1975 | First Indian satellite |
| Bhaskar-1 | 1979 | Remote sensing |
| INSAT-1B | 1983 | Telecom, weather, television |
Practice questions
- 1When was ISRO established and where is its headquarters?
- 2Which was India’s first satellite and in which year was it launched?
- 3What is the use of the Bhaskar satellites?
- 4State the speciality of the APPLE satellite.
- 5What happened before and after Aryabhatta?
- 6Why was Thumba chosen?
- 7What changes came about because of INSAT?
- 8Make a chronological table of five satellites.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 115 August 1969; Bengaluru.
- 2Aryabhatta; 1975.
- 3Information about water, minerals, environment and weather.
- 4The first completely indigenous satellite built by ISRO.
- 5Before: the 1972 agreement and building at Peenya; after: launch and re-entry in 1992.
- 6Because it is near the magnetic equator.
- 7A revolution came in telecom, television, radio, weather forecasting and search-and-rescue.
- 8Aryabhatta 1975; Bhaskar-1 1979; Bhaskar-2 1981; APPLE 1981; INSAT-1B 1983.
Communication, energy and transport
The school bell, letters and phones carry messages to the home. In the same way communication, oil and railways made progress faster in the country.
Communication means moving messages, people and goods from one place to another. It includes postal service, telecom, railways and fuel.
Key idea 1 : Post and telecom — In 1963 the Department of Telecommunications started the telex service and in 1969 it came in Devanagari too. From 15 August 1972 the six-digit pin code started and in 1986 speed post started. In 1976 an international dialling service for direct phone calls from Mumbai to London started. In 2000 the Telecom Department was restructured and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was established.
Key idea 2 : Oil and natural gas — In 1956 the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) was established. After Digboi in Assam, deposits were found at Ankleshwar in Gujarat and in the Gulf of Khambhat. In 1974 the drillship ‘Sagar Samrat’ with help of Russian scientists started digging a well in Bombay High and from 1975 oil began to be extracted.
Key idea 3 : Railways and transport — At Chittaranjan in West Bengal steam, electric and diesel engines began to be made; the first diesel engine was made at Varanasi. In 1984 computerised reservation started in Delhi and the Metro ran in Kolkata. In 1998 the Konkan Railway started; it passes through Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.
- Easy : When did the pin code start? — From 15 August 1972.
- Medium : When was ONGC established? — In 1956.
- Exam-type : When did the Konkan Railway start? — In 1998.
In the figure: Progress in communication, oil and railways.
As per the textbook the Konkan Railway is 760 kilometres long with 92 tunnels; the 6.5 km Karbude tunnel is the longest. (check with the book)
As per the textbook mobile service started in India on 22 August 1994 and then the handset cost Rs 45,000 and a call Rs 17 per minute. (check with the book; some sources say the first actual mobile call was in 1995)
56 ONGC; 63 telex; 72 pin; 84 computer; 98 Konkan.
The Konkan Railway passes through four States, not only Maharashtra.
Memory clue: 56-63-72-84-98. Memory clue: “oil, telex, post, computer, Konkan”.
Spot the difference
| Service | Year | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Telex | 1963 | Typed messages |
| Pin code | 1972 | Six digits |
| Konkan Railway | 1998 | 4 States |
Practice questions
- 1What is the telex service?
- 2When and why might the pin code have been started?
- 3What is the work of ONGC?
- 4Since when did oil begin to be extracted at Bombay High?
- 5State the benefit of computerised reservation.
- 6State the features of the Konkan Railway.
- 7Why was BSNL established?
- 8Write a chronology of five important events in communication.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A service that sends typed messages quickly within the country.
- 2On 15 August 1972; so that mail reaches fast and accurately.
- 3Searching for oil and gas deposits and increasing production.
- 4Since 1975.
- 5Reservation becomes efficient, accurate and well coordinated.
- 6Passes through 4 States; 92 tunnels; big bridges; sensors at landslide-prone places.
- 7To keep policy with the department and provide actual services.
- 8Telex 1963; pin 1972; ISD 1976; computer booking 1984; BSNL 2000.