I have written an article about Indo-US Nuclear Deal for my college magazine and I wish to put it here too...
Indo-US Nuclear Deal
After the2nd World war, the major powers of the world (US and Soviet Union) decided to form a group or organization to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weaponry so as to promote world peace and harmony. Thus came in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was set up that controlled the movement of nuclear materials between the signatories of the NPT. A Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) came under this concept that functioned to supply nuclear materials to the signatories of NPT.
India, one of the nations suggested for a Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, upholding its sovereign rights towards nuclear energy did not sign the NPT and CTBT. This was because India believed that rather than achieving the goal of non-proliferation, this treaty would create haves and have-nots of nuclear energy in the world i.e., those countries with abundant nuclear resource would always remain as super powers and those countries without much nuclear resources would remain poor and undeveloped forever. So also it would deny the prerogative of any independent sovereign country to develop nuclear energy for its use. Over 189 countries have signed the NPT except India, Israel, Pakistan, Iran and the like.
Why India needs nuclear energy?
Nuclear energy is clean and eco friendly. It is extensively used to generate power and it finds its varied use in agricultural, industrial and military sectors. Harnessing the nuclear energy requires modern sophisticated technology because the fissionable materials like U-235 produce intense radiation, which has hazardous repercussions and after effects.
The nuclear powers of the world share their latest technologies only with the signatories of the NPT. Since India has not signed the NPT it does not enjoy any privilege of a declared nuclear state under the NPT. As a result, India is banned from getting technology and resources from the NSG. In effect India could not meet its committed requirement of power generation of 2700 MW by 1985 and it is still running on meeting this committed production even after 24 years.
Even though India has uranium and thorium deposits, it does not have the necessary technology to mine them and make them fissionable. So there is a dearth of sophisticated technology and resources as a result of which most of the nuclear reactors in our country are working only to half of its actual potential. If this scenario continues the reactors will have to be shut down due to deficit of fissile uranium. If this is the case, the estimated energy deficit would become 1,50,000 MW by 2030 and 4,12,000 MW by 2050, according to our External Affairs Minister, Mr.Pranab Mukherjee. Thus by 2050, India will have to import 1.6 billion tons of coal for our energy needs which will not in any way materialize due to exhaustible resources of production. If India has to progress along with the developed countries, it has to fulfill the energy needs of the country. At present the various sources of energy available in India are,
Thermal power 66%
Hydel power 26%
Solar plus wind 05%
Nuclear energy 03%
Since coal is exhaustible and causes pollution, there need to be dramatic decrease in the dependency on coal. Even though more hydroelectric projects can be taken up, due to widespread hue and cry over the environmental issues and consequent results of the climatic change and Global Warming, the expected range of production of energy cannot be obtained. Since nuclear energy will narrow down the energy deficit considerably, it must be given more importance and it should emanate as the major energy resource that would support the economy of our Country. Nevertheless, smaller hydro electric projects wherever feasible, along with the utilization of solar and wind powers should be prioritized.
This has resulted in drafting of a civilian nuclear agreement by Prime Minister Mr.Manmohan Singh and US President Mr.George Bush in 2005. The agreement came to be known as 123 agreement. The section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of US, which generally allowed US to deal with the signatories of NPT, was modified in terms of Hyde Act to accommodate India to enter into a nuclear deal with US. Under this arrangement, India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and place its civil facilities under IAEA safeguards thus receiving all privileges of a signatory of NPT. For this, India has to place the existing 14 indigenous thermal reactors under the safeguards apart from the new installations under this deal and allow supervision of working of the reactors.
Among the major hurdles like the IAEA, NSG, US Congress etc.,the first and the foremost that India has to face was its Political imbroglio. There has been many views for and against the operationalization of the Nuclear Deal. Since India, being ruled by a coalition Govt ( UPA+Left) , the deal could not be operationalised without the overall consensus of all the members of parliament as left parties deferred from supporting the agreement.
The Left parties alleged that the deal would undermine the sovereignty of India's foreign policy and also claimed that the Indian government was hiding certain clauses of the deal, which would harm India's indigenous nuclear program. As the Left parties are against the imperialistic nature of US, any policy and activity with US was strongly opposed by the Left Parties. And quite promptly and glibly they questioned the verity, integrity and genuineness of the nuclear deal on many grounds. To add fuel to the fire, the Government did not reveal certain clauses in the agreement which made the Left parties more aggressive. On July 9, 2008, the Left Front withdrew support to the government reducing its strength to 276 in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the parliament). The government survived a confidence vote in the parliament on July 22, 2008 by 275-256 votes in the backdrop of defections from both camps to the opposite camps.
At present, the need of the hour is to get the technology and resources to generate the nuclear energy which is indispensable for India’s overall development. The requirement is to put the existing reactors under the safeguards along with the new nuclear reactors proposed in the agreement. The only condition is that all the reactors will be subject to supervision for safeguards and utilization.
It is indeed a good opportunity for India because it is enjoying the privileges of the signatories of NPT, without becoming a party to it. So in response to this gain, it has to allow the supervision to see if the nuclear materials imported for the purpose are not used for the military purpose.
In order to achieve the energy requirements, which otherwise is not possible without signing the 123 agreement, India has to bear the supervisions as a testimony to its nonproliferation intentions. Moreover, a US support for India is beneficial in the long run in other fields of developments also.
India would become more powerful and secure and any intentions of attacking India by any of our neighbouring countries will become a far cry if US becomes a closer friend of India through this deal. Other non-signatories of NPT like Pakistan are also demanding similar agreements for which further consideration will be made by US if India donot sign the pact. Getting the waiver from NSG, India will be in a position to enter into agreement with other nuclear powers of the world like France, Russia etc., for enhancing its resources of energy production.
With safeguards and care on disposing of the nuclear waste without radiation problems, it will be a good buy for India for going into this agreement and achieve the development so that we should not in any way be demarked among the developing countries of the world in the coming decades.
It should also be taken for consideration that India being the largest democracy in the world, it should keep all the values of democratic governance and set up an example of a real model of democracy in the world.
Any views for or against the topic are welcome, thereby making a healthy discussion possible.
Let India overcome all its hurdles and crusade towards becoming a developed country very soon.
Jai Hind!!!
