NEW DELHI, 24 October 2004 — India has no intention of backtracking on its peaceful nuclear drive, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday.
Manmohan was speaking at Kalpakkam in the southern Tamil Nadu state after launching a 500MW fast breeder reactor project at Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR).
The prime minister said India would not pass on sensitive technologies, weeks after the United States imposed sanctions on two Indian nuclear scientists.
“India will not be the source of proliferation of sensitive technologies,” he said. “We will also ensure the safeguarding of those technologies that we already possess. We will remain faithful to this approach, as we have been for the last several decades,” he said.
Neither India nor neighboring Pakistan is a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), despite Western prodding to sign.
The United States imposed sanctions on two former chiefs of India’s state-run Nuclear Power Cooperation (NPC) in late September, accusing them of passing nuclear technology to Iran, which in turn is accused by Washington of trying to develop nuclear weapons. New Delhi considers Iran an important Middle East ally.
India has protested against the sanctions, and Washington said earlier this week it would consider lifting them if India showed “significant and convincing” proof the scientists were innocent.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said yesterday the curbs were based on “faulty evidence and must be revoked”.
US officials have said Washington was considering imposing curbs on one to three additional Indian “entities” for aiding Iran’s weapons program. Tehran denies it is making atomic weapons, saying its nuclear program is peaceful.
The premier suggested a constructive dialogue between advanced nuclear powers and other countries to evolve more effective measures to stem the tide of proliferation without unduly constraining the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
“We in India are willing to shoulder our share of international obligations, provided our legitimate interests are met. India has actively embraced globalization. There is no reason why nuclear energy production should be an exception,” Manmohan said.
“Technology denial and closing avenues for international cooperation in such an important field is tantamount to the denial of developmental benefits to millions of people, whose lives can be transformed by the utilization of nuclear energy and relevant technologies,” he said.
Describing India as a “responsible nuclear power,” he said: “While we are determined to utilize our indigenous resources and capabilities to fulfill our national interests, we are doing so in a manner that is not contrary to the larger goal of nuclear non-proliferation.”
With nuclear energy being cost effective, Manmohan described it as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. “We are determined to utilize its full potential for the national good. It can also be a much needed cushion against fluctuations in oil prices,” he said.
Asserting that energy security was an issue of vital importance, particularly in the context of accelerating pace of economic growth, Manmohan said: “If we succeed in instituting an optimal mix of energy resources, in which nuclear energy is an important component, we will be able to ensure our energy security.”
India’s low per capita energy consumption could not for long go hand in hand with the quest for an accelerated pace of economic growth, he said. “Nuclear power accounts for only two percent of overall installed capacity of power generation in India today,” he said.
“We have embarked on a major program to generate 20,000MW of nuclear power by 2020.
“By 2008, we hope to add 4,000MW including the two 1,000-MW nuclear reactors coming up at Koodamkulam in collaboration with the Russian Federation,” the prime minister said.
Listing India’s achievements in this field, Manmohan said it is one of few nations with ability to recover plutonium from irradiated nuclear fuel and use it to produce power in thermal as well as fast breeder reactors. This path would ensure for the country a large quantum of nuclear power on a sustainable basis, he said.
