The Hindu : Front Page : India to seek integration with global civil nuclear community

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 17, 2007
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India to seek integration with global civil nuclear community

Sandeep Dikshit

We will scout for alternative sources of energy: Anand Sharma

ABOARD PM’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: Despite the nuclear deal with the United States having been virtually put on hold, India said it would continue with its efforts to integrate with the mainstream civil nuclear community.

Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said the government would also scout for alternative energy sources to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. The alternatives include renewable sources such as wind and solar, bio-fuels and even nuclear based energy. Sidestepping questions on whether the nuclear deal had been put on hold, the Minister said that putting an end to the country’s isolation from global civil nuclear trade was “in supreme national interest.”

Mr. Sharma said: “India will continue to seek full integration with the global mainstream in the civil nuclear field. This [the nuclear deal] is not one narrow issue. We have to look at the larger picture of India’s energy security. There is another aspect to the deal. We also want cutting edge technology that has dual use, including areas such as medicine and agriculture.

“India is an emerging power. In the chapter of India’s renaissance, we surely cannot be isolated from the global mainstream. It is going to hurt. We must realise it is important to remove the logjam. When this will happen I cannot say. But I can say with conviction is that India’s return to civil nuclear energy cooperation with the rest of the world and removal of the restrictive regime of the last three decades will truly serve India’s supreme national interest.”

Asked if the country was scouting for additional avenues for petroleum and gas following the perception that the nuclear deal was put on the back burner after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s telephone talk with U.S. President George W.Bush on Monday, he said, “the perception is not correct.”

Rather, he said, India was looking at all available energy sources to ensure an ideal fuel mix to ensure that dependence on fossil fuel decreased and cleaner sources of energy increased.

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