By IANS,
Mumbai: Nuclear scientist Dr. Anil Kakodkar was Friday awarded the Maharashtra Bhushan award at a function held at the Gateway of India here.
Instituted in 1997 by the Maharashtra Government, the award recognises distinguished work and achievements of eminent people from the state. It carries a cash prize of Rs.5 lakh and a citation.
Kakodkar was the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and secretary, government of India. He was also the director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre from 1996-2000.
A champion of India’s self-reliance on Thorium as a fuel for nuclear energy, Kakodakar received the Padma Vibhushan in 2009 and has published over 250 scientific papers.
Earlier recipients of the Maharashtra Bhushan award include singers Lata Mangeshkar and late Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, industrialist Ratan Tata and scientist Jayant Narlikar.