The Indian nuclear program has long been hobbled by an international embargo, to the extent they are developing thorium cycle reactors (more expensive and difficult to pursue technologically). This find may prove a respite and diminish the urgency of the thorium program.
It would have been much a more useful find 20 years ago when the Indian Nuclear programme was under and embargo.
BTW, 1 lakh is a hundred thousand.
This is absolutely huge. India's only blockade from a full fledged nuclear power system has been a uranium shortage. And India's biggest problem stifling innovation has been energy. This discovery is going to have profound impacts over the next 50 years.
Hacker News is becoming more and more just News. What does this have to do with 'hacking'?
Nothing, but someone will pull up some community guideline saying that we're allowed to post anything that is "of interest to hackers." (This could mean anything you want it to mean so I think it's a terrible way of choosing what you can and cannot post.) That guideline seems to contradict the other community guideline that if your local news station would cover the story then it's not meant for HN. Personally I think we should stick to programming stories and be done with it.
I consider HN as 'news for hackers' rather 'news on hacking'.
Most software products specifically prohibits using it in a nuclear environment.