TIRUNELVELI: The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is all set to build an 'AKRUTI Centre' for the benefit of villages located within a 16 km radius of the plant. Advanced Knowledge and Rural Technology Implementation (AKRUTI) is a programme offered by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) aimed at encouraging village-level techno-preneurship based on BARC technologies.
The BARC offers non-power applications and spin-off technologies for societal and industrial benefits to help people from the rural region become entrepreneurs. While visiting the first-ever AKRUTI Centre in Maharashtra's Boisar, it becomes evident that the nearby region has reaped the benefits of the technological support.
According to Site Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Chairman K Bhave, the centre began functioning on July 1, 2021. Today, as many as 15 BARC technologies have been implemented at the Boisar AKRUTI. The technologies more popular among the local residents are the foldable solar dryer, which dries farm produce five times faster than placing them directly under the sun, domestic water purifier, and a process for long-lasting ready-to-eat intermediate moisture (IM) fruit cubes. Several fruits, including amla and sapota (sapodilla), are native to the region and this gives the residents a great opportunity to produce value-added products.
Till May this year, as many as 10 entrepreneurs from the villages within its 16 km radius have been trained at the centre, and they now earn a livelihood using BARC technologies. To create awareness regarding the use of AKRUTI, several Knowledge and Rural Technology Implementation Kendras (KRUTIK) were opened in villages to impart regional-level training. As many as 17 staff members work at the centre in coordination with non-government organisations.
The CSR Chairman also said around 100 candidates took part in a recruitment and training programme, and nearly 40 of them were subsequently employed at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS). The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant will establish a similar centre under its CSR activities in the Tirunelveli district and introduce many technological advancements to the nearby villages. The programme is a Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) Societal Initiative.