Government gives nod to the Neutrino Observatory

The Government of India has approved the setting up of India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) in Theni district of Tamil Nadu. The estimated cost of the project is Rs.1500 crore and it aims at building a world class underground laboratory mainly to study about the properties of neutrinos, which are subatomic particles produced by the decay of radioactive elements.

The project will be jointly supported by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The Neutrino project involves building an underground laboratory with a rock cover of approximately 1200 metres. A giant 50,000 tonne magnetized iron calorimeter (ICAL) detector will be kept under the laboratory.