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Modi said the fast breeder reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu has achieved criticality, the stage during which a reactor successfully attains a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi(AFP)NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted India’s upcoming digital census and recent gains in clean energy and nuclear power, calling them key milestones in the country’s development.
Speaking in his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, Modi said the fast breeder reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, built indigenously, has achieved criticality. “The Fast Breeder Reactor in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, has achieved criticality. Actually, criticality is the stage during which a reactor successfully attains a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction for the first time. This stage signifies the reactor entering the operational phase,” the Prime Minister said.
As of April 2026, India has an installed nuclear power capacity of 8.78 gigawatts across 25 operational reactors.
Modi said India has added 6 GW of wind capacity in the last one year, taking total installed wind capacity to 56 GW. Overall renewable energy capacity, including wind, solar and hydro, reached 283.46 GW in FY26, as the country targets 500 GW by 2030.
On the 2027 Census, the world's largest population counting exercise, Modi said the exercise is the first fully digital census. The last census was in 2011.
While the enumerators going door-to-door will have a mobile app, and citizens can themselves feed their information and verify a special code with the census officials.
Modi said that in states where self-enumeration has been completed, census staff have also begun enumerating households. House listing for approximately 12 million families has been completed so far.
Modi also referred to rising dairy exports, and said increased investment and technology adoption are helping Indian products meet global standards.
Modi also highlighted that a legislative amendment in 2017 removing bamboo from the ‘tree’ category has allowed several northeastern organisations and groups to make better and more bamboo products.
Meanwhile, on the social media platform X, Modi said he was relieved to learn that US President Donald Trump was safe after a reported security incident at the White House Press Dinner. "Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned,” he wrote in the post.
About the Author
Manas Pimpalkhare
Manas is a New Delhi-based journalist with Mint, where he covers the intersection of economic policy, industry, and emerging sectors shaping India’s growth. He writes on government regulation, manufacturing, and the clean energy transition, with particular depth in areas such as electric mobility, battery ecosystems, and rare-earth supply chains. He has written on India’s efforts to build domestic capacity in electric vehicles and energy storage, as well as the broader push to reduce import dependence and strengthen supply chain resilience. His reports are not limited to capturing the headline; they also aim to explain complex policy simply.<br><br>Manas has studied law in Pune, the city where he grew up, followed by a business journalism diploma from the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai. In his almost two years of being a correspondent for Mint, Manas has reported as major wars unfolded, a general election brought surprises for both the ruling party and the Opposition, and three Union Budget announcements where India has charted its economic course for the days to come.<br><br>On vacation, Manas plays bass guitar with his friends in Space & Co, their jam-rock band. He also likes cats, and occasions of late-night snacking.
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