An outlay of approximately Rs 1700 crore has been provided under Twelfth Plan for projects under Radiation Technologies and their applications

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has developed and deployed technologies to use atomic energy in the areas of electricity generation, nuclear agriculture, food preservation, healthcare, isotope hydrology etc. Ionizing radiation has been used to induce mutations in plant breeding to develop new crop varieties having better yield, stress resistance and early maturity. Radioisotopes have been used for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic purposes. They are also used for treating cancer and sterilizing medical products. The gamma rays emanating from radioisotopes are also used to increase the shelf life of food products. In addition, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), a constituent unit of DAE has also developed several desalination and water purification technologies for application in rural areas. Using Isotope hydrology techniques employing radiotracer, studies are carried out for recharging the underwater resources and improving the ground water levels. An outlay of approximately Rs 1700 crore has been provided under XII Plan for projects under Radiation Technologies and their applications.