Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the reactor was the result of over three decades of dedicated, dogged, disciplined, and determined effort on the part of the country's nuclear energy establishment, the foundations of which were laid by the Bhabha-Nehru duo and so many other distinguished nuclear scientists.

"The 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam went critical yesterday. India is the only country other than Russia which will have commercial fast breeders that will then enable the utilisation of our vast thorium reserves," Ramesh said on X.

"This reactor is the result of over three decades of dedicated, dogged, disciplined, and determined effort on the part of our nuclear energy establishment - the foundations of which were laid by the Bhabha-Nehru duo and so many other distinguished nuclear scientists and technologists who came later," the Congress leader said.

"I vividly recall my own visit to Kalpakkam in July 2008 and the interactions I had with Dr. Baldev Raj and his team. It was a most inspiring morning. It would have only been proper for the PM to have acknowledged in his post the continuity in this stupendous achievement," Ramesh said and shared pictures from his 2008 visit to Kalpakkam.