On September 1, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated two 540 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) reactors in Thane district in Maharashtra. After dedicating two state of the art nuclear reactors to the nation, PM again stressed on the importance of Indo-US civilian nuclear deal and said that India could not afford to miss the ‘nuclear bus’.

He said:

There is today talk the world over of a nuclear renaissance and we cannot afford to miss the bus or lag behind these global developments.

Manmohan Singh said it just after a day the government offered left bloc to form a panel to review the Indo-US nuke deal. The panel would address objections of the Left parties, which have threatened to end support to the coalition if the UPA government would go forward to make the deal operational.

According to PM, India should go ahead as the present energy security is critical and doubtful to sustain India’s economic growth for long term. India is Asia’s third largest economy this is necessary no that India should make a choice between different fuel sources. Nuclear power is recognised as an important and environmentally benign constituent of the overall energy mix.

He said:

India is now too important a country to remain outside the international mainstream in this critical area. We need to pave the way for India to benefit from nuclear commerce without restrictions.

The sustainability of the long-term economic growth will be dependent on country’s capacity to meet the energy requirements in future.

The Prime Minister warned that India did not have the luxury of exploring alternative sources of power. Country’s proven resources of coal, oil, gas and hydropower are insufficient to meet the requirements what India would need in future.

India needs energy from all known and likely sources of energy. The energy India generates has to be affordable both in terms of its financial cost and in terms of the cost to environment.

This is clear indication that the UPA government is not going to bow knees against the demand to halt the process of nuclear deal. The policy of forming a panel to review the deal once again will be proved as a step to placate the Left front that is against the deal with the US.

The government has appointed a panel to study the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal on Thursday. The panel would probably submit its report by the end of September. Till then, the UPA government would make no stone unturned to convince the left parties.

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