PM Modi To Lay Foundation Stone For India's Gravitational Wave Observatory

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today (11 May) lay the foundation stone for the LIGO project in Maharashtra's Hingoli district via video conference.

The project received final clearance from the government a month ago. Additionally, the Prime Minister will inaugurate multiple projects of the atomic energy department on the 25th anniversary of the 1998 nuclear tests.

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, LIGO, which is designed to identify gravitational waves, is poised to become India's largest scientific facility.

At present, the supply of these magnets relies heavily on China.

To overcome this dependency, India intends to leverage local sources of rare earth elements to manufacture these magnets.

The BARC complex in Mumbai houses the Molybdenum-99 production facility and other upcoming projects launched by the Prime Minister. These initiatives aim to utilize nuclear energy for promoting health. Molybdenum-99 aids in detecting cancer and heart diseases in the early stages through imaging procedures.

The Prime Minister is also set to inaugurate healthcare facilities including a National Hadron Beam Therapy Facility, a radiological research unit, a Women and Children Cancer Hospital in Navi Mumbai and a Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Visakhapatnam.

The PM will lay foundation stones for a cancer hospital in Jatni, Odisha and a new block at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai.