Over the decade, there has been an accelerated growth in the application of ionising radiation technologies in the fields of medicine, industry and basic research in India. These applications have been accruing huge societal benefits, in terms of cancer treatment, diagnosis and industrial uses such as non-destructive testing, gauging and in food processing applications etc. However, the ionising radiation has certain radiological hazards associated with handling of radiation sources.

In view of the above, radiation facilities are required to be regulated for ensuring that the use of ionising radiation does not cause undue risk to health and the environment. The radiological safety review and regulation of such facilities using ionising radiation in India are carried out by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). It is a statutory requirement, in accordance with the Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules, 2004 issued under Atomic Energy Act 1962, to obtain a requisite License from AERB, which is issued after ensuring overall safety in handling of radiation sources.

Challenges

“The mission of the AERB is to ensure the use of ionising radiation and nuclear energy in India does not cause undue risk to the health of people and the environment”.

The growth in the application of ionising radiation technology has posed a tremendous challenge to the AERB for regulating all these facilities to ensure safety and security of radiation facilities effectively and efficiently with the limited resources available with AERB. In order to meet the challenge AERB took initiative of implementing a state-of-art e-Governance system, e-LORA (e-Licensing of Radiation Applications) through automation of regulatory processes associated with the use of ionising radiation in India.

Solution

e-LORA is a web-based Information and Communication Technology (ICT) application establishing direct communication channel between AERB and its stakeholders for exchange of information and communication transaction for delivering its regulatory services as well as for achieving higher efficiency, reliability and transparency in dealings. The e-LORA system is designed to automate the comprehensive business processes of radiological application regulations targeted to large number of facilities involved in use of ionising radiation as well as radiation workers working with them for safe service.

The components of eLORA are chosen to achieve Business Solution with Security, Performance, Availability, Scalability, Manageability and Maintainability. The infrastructure of eLORA system is based on virtualisation technology, which has helped in achieving cost-effectiveness at the investment level and further during operations at the data centre.

The processed developed in eLORA system is as per statutory requirements given by Government of India [e.g., Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules, 2004] and technical documents developed by AERB (viz., Regulatory Codes, Manuals and Standards).

Outcomes

e-LORA system ensures the tracking of radiation sources starting from the state of procurement to its safe disposal, i.e., cradle to grave approach as perfect electronic database system of radiation sources in the country. eLORA system developed by AERB is a unique venture in the international domain of radiological application regulation and no industry benchmark is available worldwide to compare it, which is a matter of pride for India.