Since the 1980s, the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu has faced multiple forms of resistance. Women and men from different walks of life—fishers, farmers, environmentalists, activists, writers, scholars, teachers, journalists, doctors, and lawyers among many others—have come together to combat the deadly radioactive repercussions and repression that come with the development of a high-security nuclear installation. Drawing upon their experiences, this historical and ethnographic study accounts for the anti-nuclear campaign’s part in ‘right-to-lives’ movements while engaging with the (re)production of knowledge and ignorance in the understanding of radiation, and efforts to create an evidence base in response to the otherwise unavailable or insufficient data on the environment and public health in India. Tracing the grassroots struggle for ‘energy justice’ off- and on-line, the author looks into the larger questions of development, democracy, and nationalism. These have marked not just parts of India identified for large-scale constructions, but also other regions of the world where state functionaries have much to gain from corporate collaborations at the cost of local residents who lose their livelihoods, and are forcibly displaced, persecuted, or even killed in order to execute governmental designs in the name of the nation.

Prior to the starting of any nuclear power station, it is very important to record the status of the environment with regard to its quality and demographic features of the immediate neighbourhood. In the global scenario, India occupies the prime position as the initiator of this procedure as far back as the sixties. This venture is termed as ‘pre-operational environmental baseline study’. Such surveillance is also mandatory to fulfill regulatory requirements before commissioning of the plant. Pre-operational monitoring helps in assessing the impact of the facility during its operational phase. Hence, a systematic study is essential to establish the baseline data regarding natural and fallout (man-made) radioactivity in various environmental samples before the plant goes into operation. Such surveillance also includes measuring and monitoring conventional parameters in respect of air and water quality in the surrounds of a nuclear facility.

In a critical discussion of India's nuclear doctrine and its components of no first use and credible minimum deterrence, R. Rajaraman argues that, contrary to fears expressed in the media and the literature, the effectiveness of the deterrent is not reduced if China has thermonuclear bombs while India does not. Or if, as sometimes reported in the media, Pakistan has a few more warheads than India does. What matters is India having enough surviving nuclear weapons to launch a Second Strike on the adversary that inflicted 'Unacceptable Damage'. In order to lift the veil of irrational fear and unnecessary opacity surrounding this area, the actual damage caused by a nuclear explosion and its radiation fallout is described in a transparent manner. On nuclear energy, Rajaraman offers a detailed assessment of the Indian government's ambitious reactor programme, including a discussion of the India– US Nuclear Deal, the Nuclear Liability Law and their impact. On the global stage, he also covers measures to secure nuclear materials to prevent terrorism. The efforts include the FMCT negotiations, the Obama Summit and the NTI Index. Critical Mass thus offers a unique perspective on nuclear developments in India, covering both civil and military affairs. Written in a lucid manner such that it is accessible to a layperson, the book is illustrated with photographs and with anecdotes of the author's own experiences in the field. It succeeds in its admirable aim of decoding India's nuclear policy in a manner that enables the reader to form their own judgement on strategic matters.

This book explores how anti-nuclear social movements impact the state’s civil nuclear policy and its implementation by presenting a historical-comparative case study of anti-nuclear movements in India. Drawing on social movement theory and empirical methods, the book demonstrates that the ability for anti-nuclear movements to impede the inception of nuclear plants – a key element of India’s civil nuclear policy – is determined by the movement’s collective action repertoires, the politicisation of nuclear power and the state’s larger developmental paradigm, and the openness of state input structures. The case studies of anti-nuclear movements in Haripur, Kudankulam and Kovvada demonstrate how the implementation of civil nuclear policy is also determined by the state’s technical and financial capacity and effective international collaboration. With a focus on theorisation of social movements and their impact, combined with empirical studies of anti-nuclear movements, as well as the historical trajectory of civil nuclear development, the book adds a new prism to the study of India’s civil nuclear policy and anti-nuclear opposition. It will be of interest to researchers working on social movements, state-society relations, energy studies and civil nuclear energy in the context of South Asia and the Global South.

2023-24 RRB General Knowledge Solved Papers

Current Affairs has been proved as a major basis of the IAS Prelims Exam as well as of UPSC IAS Mains Exam and remained invisible in the question paper due to the evolving Pattern of the UPSC IAS Exam. The Questions of UPSC IAS Exam are mostly based on the issues happened in the recent period with their orientation towards the background and the causes and effects of the current events in the future. This eBook is a comprehensive coverage of the Current Affairs important from the point of view of IAS Prelims and covers the period from July 2016 to May 2017. This e-Book is well equipped for the Civil Services Exam and Indian Forest Service Prelims Exam and all the PCS exams. Besides, the eBook will also be useful for different types of competitive exams like SSC, Banking, LIC, Railway and all other competitive exams. This e-book is specifically made for the purpose of the IAS Prelims Exam 2016. We tried to ensure that this book filters out the unnecessary information and provides the most authentic and exam oriented current affairs news. This book covers the Current Events of National and International Importance with the detailed classification of the events for the ease of searching and understanding. This eBook is divided into eleven important sections. These sections are National, International, Economy, Environment, and Ecology, News from States, Discussion and Analysis. All the sections covered provide the detailed description of the news and events that made headlines. Representation of verified facts and figures along with fine-tuned analysis and comment makes the events easy to understand and perceive. The aspirants of competitive exams will definitely be benefitted by the content of the eBook. Key Points: The current affairs question bank has comprehensive coverage of important events happened during the whole year.The study material is very helpful for selective and smart study during the last leg of IAS preparation and it will help to save precious time for other subjects.The current affairs study material follows the latest and trending approaches of asking questions in IAS Prelims Exam.The study material- current affairs for IAS consists of 700 important questions related to social, political, economic, environmental and cultural events that took place in India and around the world from the month of August 2016 onwards until today.Every current affair quiz has in-depth explanation will help IAS aspirants to understand the related topics in detail.Overall, after solving current affairs quizzes, the IAS aspirants will be in a position to assess their own level of IAS preparation.

Radiation safety and risk management, a critical issue in the nuclear age, is an ongoing concern in the field of radiation health risk sciences. It is the particular mission and task of the Nagasaki University Global COE program to explore human health risks from radiation on a global scale and to come up with measures for overcoming its negative legacies. Ionizing radiation is a well-documented human cancer risk factor, and long-term health consequences in individuals exposed at a young age to such events as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing are now being followed up. Unique and comprehensive, this book introduces updated radiation health-related issues, including the proper collection and analysis of biological samples, cancer research, psychological effects, fair disclosure, and the effects of low-dose exposure as they apply to future public health policy. Also addressed is the need for emergency radiation medicine in case of accidents.

Large projects are defining moments for companies and countries. When large projects succeed, they can dramatically improve the social and economic conditions in a region. This book focuses on major aspects of the world’s largest infrastructural, industrial and public service projects through the lens of structuring, valuing, managing risk and financing projects. The book analyses and discuss large projects in government, private and public and private partnership. The author sheds light into the attributes of project finance which have unique structural elements. The book focuses on case studies related to 50 mega projects which includes infrastructural projects, energy related projects, industrial projects, roads, ports and bridges among others. This book covers both the theoretical aspects of financing of mega projects and the practical applications by including case studies of the world’s largest projects in terms of value.

2022-23 RRB General Knowledge Previous Solved Papers