PARLIAMENT QUESTION: DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL MODULAR REACTORS

• Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors of up to ~300 MWe capacity, factory-fabricated, transportable, and deployable on smaller footprints than conventional reactors.
• India's response is the Nuclear Energy Mission, announced in Union Budget 2025–26, with a ₹20,000 crore outlay for R&D and deployment of SMRs by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
• Strategically tied to the 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047 target (Viksit Bharat) and decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors.