Bangladesh will send 30-35 more officials to India by this month to participate in ‘Foundation Course on Nuclear Energy (FCNE)’ there for capacity building in nuclear power project management process.

Science and Technology Minister Architect Yeafes Osman informed this in the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday while replying to a question of JSD lawmaker Begum Lutfa Taher.

The minister said a total of 55 officials have already completed the course in the friendly country India for capacity building in nuclear power project management.

Besides, he said the government has already introduced higher education programmes on science, engineering and nuclear science and technology to build skilled and trained manpower aimed at implementing nuclear power project in the country.

In this connection, he said that Dhaka University and Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) have introduced graduate and post-graduate courses on nuclear engineering.

He said over 200 scientists of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission had been imparted training on nuclear power with the help of International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA].

Apart from this, the minister said 850 people would be imparted training in the Russian Federation and 574 by the Russian firms that were given contract to implement the project.

The minister informed the House that the preliminary construction work on Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has been completed successfully while the construction of the main phase would begin in the middle of the current year.

He said at least 2,535 manpower would be required to implement and running the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant safely considering the socio-economic condition of people.

The minister said a total of 122 officers have been employed so far for implementing the project.