NEW DELHI: In the backdrop of mounting pressure on India to join Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime and to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday reiterated India’s commitment to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. He also committed India to participate constructively in negotiations on Fissile Material Control Treaty (FMCT) in the Conference on Disarmament.

Inaugurating the International Conference on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, “India is proud of its non-proliferation record and is committed to global efforts for preventing the proliferation of all weapons of mass destruction.”

India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had advocated prohibition and abandonment of all weapons of mass destruction way back in the 1950s. In 1988, at the UN General Assembly, the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan for complete elimination of nuclear weapons was unveiled by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. India remains committed to that objective. In 2006, India also put forward a set of proposals at the UN General Assembly for negotiation of Nuclear Weapons Convention that would prohibit development, production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons and providing for their elimination within a specified timeframe.

Unveiling a roadmap on development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Singh said the return of India to international nuclear global mainstream is of high significance not only for India but for global energy security, as well.

The first stage of our three-stage nuclear program involves setting up of Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and associated fuel cycle facility that has reached a level of maturity. Technology for the manufacture of various components and equipment for Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) in India is now well established and has evolved through active collaboration with Indian industry.

The second stage envisages setting up of Fast-Breeder Reactors (FBRs) backed by reprocessing plants and plutonium-based fuel fabrication plants. A facility for reprocessing thorium fuel has also been set up. An Advanced Heavy Water Reactor has been designed and its construction will be launched in the near future.

The third stage will be marked by the transition to thorium-based systems. “We are proud of the achievements of India’s nuclear scientists and of our industry,” Singh said. The peaceful uses of nuclear energy are not just about power.