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Wednesday, Jan 09, 2008
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“Concerns over nuclear proliferation misplaced”

Staff Reporter

R. Chidambaram

Bangalore: Nuclear proliferation is not an issue as far as India goes and concerns in this regard are misplaced, said R. Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, here on Tuesday.

Speaking on ‘Nuclear energy in India: self reliance and international cooperation’ at a lecture organised by the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Dr. Chidambaram said, “In terms of nuclear, India stands alone. There is no sharing of knowledge with anyone else as far as the nuclear weapons programme is concerned.”

“In nuclear, India needs the world in the short term but undoubtedly, the world will need us in the long term. This is particularly true in the context of the emerging nuclear renaissance, which is being driven by the depletion of fossil fuel resources and the threat of climate change,” he said.

Technology is power and ‘technology foresight’ is the key if India has to develop fast, said Dr. Chidambaram. “We have to make the right choices and choose strategic technology such as space, nuclear, defence and knowledge intensive technology.”

“Crucial factor”

Developing technology is crucial in the creation of national wealth, in improving the quality of life and in enhancing national security — and the nuclear technology programme had all these components, he added.

The Pokhran nuclear test in 1998 not only successfully reached its scientific objectives, it also helped increase foreign exchange, said Dr. Chidambaram.

“Although it was believed that it would affect the economy, the test, if anything, only helped foreign exchange grow from $32490 million to $151600 million in 2005-6.”

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