Atom on Wheels Campaign | 06 Oct 2023

Why In News?

On October 5, 2023, RS Barwal, Project Director of the Corporation, launched the Atom on Wheels campaign under the Rural Integration Program run by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India from the Gorakhpur Haryana Atomic Project Plant located at village Gorakhpur in Fatehabad district of Haryana.

Key Points:

• It is known that various types of misconceptions are spread among the general public regarding nuclear energy. This nationwide campaign has been launched to remove these misconceptions.
• The main objective of the Atom on Wheels campaign is to remove the misconceptions of the common people regarding nuclear energy. For this, a bus named Atom on Wheels has been prepared, in which an exhibition has been set up to explain the production of nuclear energy and its benefits. This exhibition bus will go from village to village. There will be a three to four member team in the bus, which will also answer the questions of the villagers.
• Atom on Wheels campaign will be run in Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The campaign will run for four months in each state, covering 60 to 70 villages every month.
• First of all, this bus will make people aware about nuclear energy in 240 villages of Fatehabad district for four months. The bus will be parked outside the Panchayat building, schools, medical centres, community centers of every village. After Haryana, the bus will be sent to Rajasthan.
• In the air-conditioned bus prepared by the corporation, information related to the production, consumption, characteristics of nuclear energy, plants running in the country and the use, effects and safety of nuclear energy has been displayed through exhibits and panels.
• Apart from this, LEDs and projectors have been installed on the outside of the bus, in which a lot of interesting information will be visible.
• According to corporation officials, construction of two units of 700-700 MW each is underway in the first phase at the plant located in village Gorakhpur in Fatehabad district. The work of the first unit will be completed by the year 2028.
• It is noteworthy that in the year 2014, the foundation stone of the nuclear project plant in village Gorakhpur was laid by the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
• A total of 2800 MW electricity will be produced in this plant of completely indigenous technology. Four units of 700-700 MW will be built here. The entire work will be completed by the year 2036. Rs 50 thousand crore will be spent on the construction of this plant.