The Atomic Energy Commission is a governing body functioning under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India. The DAE is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister.
The Indian Atomic Energy Commission was first set up in August 1948 in the then Department of Scientific Research, which was created a few months earlier in June 1948. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was set up on August 3, 1954 under the direct charge of the Prime Minister through a Presidential Order. Subsequently, in accordance with a Government Resolution dated March 1, 1958, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was established in the Department of Atomic Energy. The then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru also laid a copy of this Resolution on the table of the Lok Sabha on March 24, 1958.
Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha was the first chairman of the commission.
According to the Resolution constituting the AEC, the Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Atomic Energy is ex-officio Chairman of the Commission. The other Members of the AEC are appointed for each calendar year on the recommendation of the Chairman, AEC with the approval of the Prime Minister.
| Name | Designation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Anil Kakodkar | Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy | Chairman |
| Prithviraj Chavan | Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office | Member |
| M.K. Narayanan | National Security Advisor | Member |
| T.K.A. Nair | Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister | Member |
| K.M Chandrashekar | Cabinet Secretary | Member |
| Dr. D. Subba Rao | Finance Secretary & Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs | Member Finance |
| C.N.R. Rao | Honorary President, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore | Member |
| Dr. M.R. Srinivasan | Former Member(Energy) Planning Commission & ex-Chairman AEC | Member |
| P. Rama Rao | ISRO Dr. Brahm Prakash Distinguished Professor, Chairman BRNS & Former Chairman Atomic Energy Regulatory Board | Member |
| Dr. S. Banerjee | Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre | Member |
| K. Muralidhar | Head Management Services Group, DAE | Secretary |