Mumbai: Eminent nuclear scientist Dr Anil Kakodkar will be the recipient of the prestigious 'Maharashtra Bhushan' award for 2011-12. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan in Mumbai on Thursday.
The award, instituted in 1997 by the Maharashtra government to recognise the highly distinguished work and achievements of eminent persons from the state, representing different walks of life, carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.
Legendary humorist P L Deshpande, singer Lata Mangeshkar, cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, social workers Abhay and Rani Bang, industrialist Ratan Tata and scientist Jayant Narlikar are among the prominent recipients in the past.
The state government has been seeking guidance from Kakodkar, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, on the issue of Jaitapur nuclear power project in coastal Konkan.
Kakodkar also conducted interactive sessions with state legislators to inform them about the benefits of the nuclear project.
Brushing aside strong opposition from the Shiv Sena, which had prevented him from speaking in favour of the Jaitapur project, Kakodkar not only advocated increased use of nuclear energy but also reiterated that the reactors for Jaitapur were safe.
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