---
title: "Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) — Definition & Meaning"
description: "The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is India's top nuclear research facility, crucial for UPSC candidates studying energy and technology policies."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/bhabha-atomic-research-centre"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is India's principal nuclear research facility, headquartered at Trombay near Mumbai under the Department of Atomic Energy.
- What is the difference between BARC and the AERB?
- How does BARC relate to India's three-stage nuclear programme?
- Are BARC's facilities under IAEA safeguards?
- What was BARC's role in India's nuclear tests?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is India's principal nuclear research facility, headquartered at Trombay near Mumbai under the Department of Atomic Energy.

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## Timeline

1. 20 January 1957

   It traces its origin to the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET), inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on and renamed BARC on 22 January 19…

2. 22 January 1967

   It traces its origin to the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET), inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 20 January 1957 and renamed BARC o…

3. 24 January 1966

   It traces its origin to the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET), inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 20 January 1957 and renamed BARC o…

4. 3 August 1954

   The institution operates under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), itself created on by a government resolution and placed directly under the charge of t…

5. 4 August 1956

   The Centre operates the research reactors Apsara (Asia's first, criticality achieved on ), CIRUS (1960, since shut down in 2010), Dhruva (1985, India's large…

6. 18 May 1974

   BARC also designed and operates the reprocessing plants that close this cycle and contributed the core nuclear-weapons design and Polonium-Beryllium initiato…

7. 13 May 1998

   BARC also designed and operates the reprocessing plants that close this cycle and contributed the core nuclear-weapons design and Polonium-Beryllium initiato…

8. 15 November 1983

   It is not the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), constituted on , which is the independent nuclear safety regulator and is organisationally separate, tho…

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Example

In July 2020, BARC-designed India's first indigenous 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor at Kakrapar in Gujarat attained criticality, advancing the first stage of the country's three-stage nuclear programme.

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