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France ready for civil nuclear ties with India

NEW DELHI: France is ready to have civil nuclear cooperation with India but New Delhi should first conclude agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

French Minister for Higher Education and Research Valerie Pecresse said this to journalists here on Thursday.

He said it would be good for India to go further in civil nuclear cooperation. Atomic energy was a key to address the issue of climate change as it was a clean technology.

Terming nuclear energy “virtuous,” she said France was happy to have made the choice to have it as a dominant part of its power sector. But there was a need to be very careful on the security of nuclear plants.

France was exploring new avenues for science and technology cooperation with India that would cover various fields, including nuclear science and space technology. Steps were being taken to offer more incentives to Indian students to study and work in France in keeping with its socio-economic requirements.

At present, only about 1,500 Indian were studying in France, against 17,000 Chinese. There was a big scope for increase in the intake of Indians, she said

Ms. Pecresse conferred the French award for significant contribution to education, “Officier des Palmes Academiques” on Director of the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research Shiva Prasad.

Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal said India and France were exploring new ways to finance the Indo-French Centre for Promotion of Advanced Research, which marked its 20th anniversary on Thursday.

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