Overview
- In his 133rd Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led with the Kalpakkam fast breeder reactor’s first criticality on April 6, calling it a landmark in India’s nuclear journey.
- The 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor is indigenously built, uses mixed-oxide fuel, and is designed to breed new fissile material that can advance India’s thorium-based third-stage programme.
- Modi noted that criticality marks the start of reactor operations, and reports cautioned that power generation will follow further commissioning steps before electricity flows to the grid.
- He said India’s wind capacity has crossed 56 GW after about 6 GW were added in 2025–26, placing the country fourth globally and spurring jobs in states such as Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
- On Census 2027, he urged full public participation in the first fully digital count with self-enumeration via a mobile app and data security assurances, as initial house listing has begun in some areas.