Question

India conducted its first nuclear explosion at _________________.
A) Apsara
B) Pokhran
C) Koyana
D) Kalpakkam

Answer 1

Hint: The first nuclear explosion / test is also known as the ‘peaceful nuclear explosion’. It took place on 18th May 1974 in a village and a municipality located in the Jaisalmer district of the India state of Rajasthan. Homi Bhabha was the one who urged the Indian government to approve the atomic bomb program.

Complete answer:
After independence the tension between Pakistan and India was a contributing factor to the start of India’s nuclear program. The other factor that gave it the promptness that it needed was the conflict with China.

The war of October 1962 between China and India regarding the Himalayan borders, this month long Sino Indian war ended with the victory of china. This prompted India to build an atomic bomb.
China had also tested its first atomic bomb in October 1964 which made it much more important for India to develop its own atomic bomb.

India conducted its first nuclear detonation, described by India as a "peaceful nuclear explosion," on 18 May 1974. The decision to finally test a bomb was largely motivated by India’s desire to be independent from Western interference In August 1971; India took another step away from the West when it signed the Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Co-operation with the Soviet Union.

In December 1971, war broke out between India and Pakistan over the separatist movement in East Pakistan (modern Bangladesh). China and the United States sided with Pakistan, and President Richard Nixon even ordered the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet into the Bay of Bengal. The war nevertheless ended with an overwhelming Indian victory and soured relations between India and the West. The Thar Desert, Pokhran in Rajasthan was the location of the Nuclear Test.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘B’ i.e. Pokhran.

Note:
i) As of march 2018, India has 22 nuclear reactors in operation.
ii) The installed capacity is 6,780 MW.
iii) There are 7 more reactors under construction with the capacity ranging to 4,300 MW.
iv) The biggest nuclear power plant in India is the Kakrapar atomic power station.