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Department of Atomic Energy: Milestones
March 12, 1944 : Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha writes to Sir Dorabji Tata Trust for starting Nuclear Research in India.
December 19, 1945 : Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai is inaugurated.
April 15, 1948 : Atomic Energy Act is passed
August 10, 1948 : The Atomic Energy Commission is constituted.
July 29, 1949 : Rare Minerals Survey Unit is set up. Later, this unit becomes Atomic Minerals Division. It is renamed as Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research on July 29, 1998.
August 18, 1950 : Indian Rare Earths Limited is set up for recovering minerals, processing of rare earths compounds and Thorium - Uranium concentrates.
April, 1951 : Uranium Deposit at Jaduguda is discovered by AMD. Drilling operations commence in December 1951.
December 24, 1952 : Rare Earths Plant of IRE at Alwaye, Kerala, is dedicated to the nation and production of Rare Earths & Thorium - Uranium concentrate commences.
August 03, 1954 : Department of Atomic Energy is created.
August 01, 1955 : Thorium Plant at Trombay goes into production.
August 04, 1956 : APSARA - first research reactor in Asia, attains criticality at Trombay, Mumbai.
January 20, 1957 : Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET) is inaugurated
August 19, 1957 : Atomic Energy Establishment Training School starts functioning.
January 30, 1959 : Uranium Metal Plant at Trombay produces Uranium.
February 19, 1960 : First lot of 10 Fuel Elements for CIRUS reactor is fabricated at Trombay
July 10, 1960 : CIRUS – the 40 MWt research reactor attains criticality.
January 14, 1961 : Research Reactor ZERLINA attains criticality. (It is decommissioned in 1983)
January 22, 1965 : Plutonium Plant is inaugurated.
January 22, 1967 : Atomic Energy Establishment Trombay (AEET) is renamed as Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
April 11, 1967 : Electronics Corporation of India Limited is set up at Hyderabad for producing electronic systems, instruments and components.
June 1, 1967 : Formation of Power Projects Engineering Division, Mumbai, which was subsequently converted to Nuclear Power Board on August 17, 1984. It is renamed as Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited on September 17, 1987.
October 04, 1967 : Uranium Corporation of India Limited is established with headquarters at Jaduguda for mining and milling of uranium ores.
May 1968 : Uranium Mill at Jaduguda, with a capacity of 1,000 TPD, commences commercial production of Magnesium diuranate (yellow cake). Jaduguda Mine Shaft is commissioned in November 1968.
December 31, 1968 : Nuclear Fuel Complex is set up at Hyderabad.
March 12, 1969 : Reactor Research Centre is started at Kalpakkam. Renamed as Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research on December 18, 1985.
May 01, 1969 : Heavy Water Projects is constituted. Later, it becomes Heavy Water Board.
October 02, 1969 : Tarapur Atomic Power Station starts commercial operation.
September 06, 1970 : Uranium-233 is Separated from irradiated thorium
February 18, 1971 : Plutonium fuel for Research Reactor PURNIMA-I is fabricated at Trombay
February 3, 1972 : Formation of DAE Safety Review Committee
May 18, 1972 : Research Reactor PURNIMA-I attains criticality.
November 30, 1972 : Unit-1 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station at Kota begins commercial operation. Unit II goes commercial on November 1, 1980.

1974

 : By-product Recovery Plant of UCIL at Jaduguda is commissioned.
May 18, 1974 : Peaceful underground Nuclear Experiment is conducted at Pokhran, Rajasthan.
March 1975 : Commercial production of Uranium Mineral Concentrates from Copper plant tailings at Surda, Hindustan Copper Limited commenced.
May 1975 : Commercial production of by-products - Molybdenum and Copper concentrates starts
September 1975 : Surda Uranium Recovery Plant of UCIL is commissioned.
June 16, 1977 : Variable Energy Cyclotron becomes operational at Kolkata.
November 18, 1979 : Plutonium-Uranium mixed oxide fuel is fabricated at Trombay
November 19, 1982 : Power Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Plant at Tarapur is commissioned.

1983

 : FBTR attains first criticality
February, 1983 : Rakha Uranium Recovery Plant of UCIL is commissioned.
November 15, 1983 : Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, is constituted.
January 27, 1984  : Madras Atomic Power Station - Unit I at Kalpakkam starts commercial operation. Unit II goes commercial on March 21, 1986.
February 19, 1984   : Centre for Advanced Technology at Indore( Madhya Pradesh) is inaugurated.
March 08, 1984   : Plutonium - Uranium mixed Carbide Fuel for fast breeder test reactor is fabricated in BARC.
May 10, 1984 : Research Reactor PURNIMA-II, a Uranium-233 fuelled homogenous reactor, attains criticality.
March 05, 1985   : Waste Immobilisation Plant (WIP) at Tarapur is commissioned.
August 08, 1985   : Research Reactor DHRUVA (100 MWt) attains criticality. It attains full power on January 17, 1988.
October 18, 1985 : Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam attains criticality.

1986

 : Dredge Mining, Mineral Separation and Synthetic Rutile Plant at OSCOM, Orissa is commissioned. 
December 1986 : Mosabani Uranium Recovery Plant commissioned.
December 30, 1988 : 12 MV Pelletron Accelerator is inaugurated.
January 3, 1989 : Regional Radiation Medicine Centre (RRMC) is inaugurated at Kolkata.
March 12, 1989 : Narora Atomic Power Station Unit I attains criticality. Its Unit II attains criticality on October 24, 1991
November 09, 1990 : Research Reactor PURNIMA-III, a Uranium-233 fuelled reactor, attains criticality
May 16, 1991 : First ECR heavy ion source of the country becomes operational at the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre.
September 03, 1992 : Kakrapar Atomic Power Station - Unit I attains criticality. Its Unit II attains criticality on January 08, 1995
August 12, 1993   : Technology Offer Centre is inaugurated at DAE, Mumbai.
January 1995  : Narwapahar mine is inaugurated.
March 27, 1996 : Kalpakkam Reprocessing Plant (KARP) is cold commissioned. It is dedicated to nation on September 15, 1998.
October 20, 1996 : Kalpakkam Mini Reactor (KAMINI), with Uranium-233 fuel, attains criticality at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu. On September 17, 1997 Research Reactor KAMINI attains full power level of 30 kWt.
March. 31, 1997 : Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit-1 is recommissioned after repair of OPRD valve.
December 1997 : Jadugudda Mill is expanded to treat 2,090 tonnes ore per day. PRYNCE (95% Neodymium Oxide) Plant is commissioned at Rare Earths Division.
May 11 & 13, 1998 : Five underground nuclear tests are conducted at Pokhran Range, Rajasthan.
May 27, 1998   : Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit-2 is recommissioned after enmasse replacement of coolant channels.
August 10, 1998   : The 500 KeV industrial electron accelerator developed indigenously by the BARC is commissioned for its first phase of operation.
April 22, 1999 : 450 MeV Synchrotron Radiation Source Indus-1 achieves electron beam current of 113 milli-ampere superceding the design value of 100 milli-ampere.
July 1999 : Solid Storage and surveillance Facility at Tarapur is commissioned.
September 24, 1999 : Unit-2 of Kaiga Atomic Power Station attains criticality. It is synchronised to the grid on December 02, 1999, and becomes commercial on March 16, 2000.
October 01, 1999 : India’s first Nuclear Power Plant Simulator is upgraded.
December 24, 1999 : Unit-3 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station attains criticality. It is synchronised to the grid on March 10, 2000, and becomes commercial on June 1, 2000.
January 1, 2000 : BRIT's plant for radiation processing of spices commissioned at Vashi, Navi Mumbai.

2000

 : Boron Enrichment Plant is commissioned at IGCAR, Kalpakkam.
March 8, 2000 : Tarapur Atomic Power Project - 3&4 rises up.
March 10, 2000 : Unit-3 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station synchronised to the grid.
April 21, 2000 : Folded Tandem Ion Accelerator (FOTIA) delivers first beam on target.
September 26, 2000 : Unit-1 of Kaiga Atomic Power station attains criticality. It is synchronised to grid on October 12, 2000 and goes commercial on November 16, 2000.
November 03, 2000 : Unit-4 of Rajasthan Atomic Power station attains criticality. It is synchronised to grid on November 17, 2000 and goes commercial on December 23, 2000. 
March 18, 2001 : Units 3 & 4 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station dedicated to the nation.
February 12, 2002 : India signs the contract with the Russian Federation for the Nuclear Power Station at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu.
March 30, 2002 &
May 10,  2002		 : First pours of concrete respectively of Unit-3 and Unit-4 of Kaiga Atomic Power Project 3 & 4.
March 31, 2002 : First pour of concrete of Unit 1&2 of Kudankulam Atomic Power Project.
September 18, 2002 : First pour of concrete of Unit-5 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Project 5 & 6.
October 31, 2002 : Waste Immobilisation Plant and Uranium-Thorium Separation Plant (both at Trombay), and the Radiation Processing Plant Krushak at Lasalgaon, district Nasik, Maharashtra, are dedicated to the Nation.
November 2002 : UCIL's Turumdih Mine, Jharkhand is inaugurated and Technology Demonstration Pilot Plant becomes operational at Jaduguda.

2003

 : 1.7 MeV Tandetron Accelerator and the demo facility Lead Mini Cell (LMC), for reprocessing of FBTR carbide fuel on lab scale, are commissioned at IGCAR.
October 22, 2003 : Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) is set up at kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.

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