A breakthrough in India’s nuclear power research has been hailed as a defining moment for the country’s energy programme and a step towards self-reliance. Earlier this month, Indian scientists revealed they had achieved criticality, a state of self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, at the Kalpakkam prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) in Tamil Nadu state. The programme promises to harness India’s abundant thorium reserves, which constitute around 25 per cent of global deposits, advancing its...