Ratan Kumar Sinha appointed new BARC director

Dr Ratan Kumar Sinha, closely associated with the design and development of India's first thorium-based Advanced Heavy Water Reactor, will be the new Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

Sources in the Department of Atomic Energy said Sinha's appointment has been cleared by the Union Government. A formal announcement is expected this week.

Sinha will take over from Dr S Banerjee, who had been holding the post of BARC director and Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).

Born on October 23, 1950, Sinha, a mechanical engineer of the 16th batch of BARC training school, is currently the director of Reactor Design Development Group of BARC, the country's premier nuclear research centre.

He has been working on the country's design and development of India's first thorium-based Advanced Heavy Water Reactor for the last 15 years, the sources said.

Banerjee is likely to hand over charge to Sinha during this week, the sources said.

Dr Banerjee was appointed as Chairman of AEC and secretary in the Department of Atomic Energy in November last year. He has been holding the post of BARC director since 2005.