India's Nuclear Energy Programme & the 123 Agreement with the United States

• The Indian national congress-the party which was in the vanguard of freedom struggle and has led the independent India to unassailable position of a global power-welcomes in a true spirit of democracy the debate on 123 agreement with the US.
• India launched its nuclear energy programme under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru and international cooperation was an essential element of this programme, with India seeking assistance from the United States,Canada, France, the erstwhile U.S.S.R. etc.
• Keeping in view India's security interests and the need to retain the nuclear option, India under Indira Gandhi's leadership refused to sign the NPT, describing it as a discriminatory treaty.
• Indian National Congress has throughout placed India's national interest above politics. It has protected the overeignty and integrity of India and defended its right of independent decision-making while responding to international developments. The Congress Party has firmly been and remains firmly committed to defend India's freedom and supreme national interest.
• 1974-Under Indira Gandhi's bold leadership, India conducted the first peaceful nuclear explosion. The world responded by ending all nuclear cooperation with India. But India continued to develop its nuclear programme by using indigenous technology. Nuclear Supplier's Group(NSG) was created, led by the US, mainly to deny India access to nuclear technology, equipment and materials.
• 1998-India exercised its nuclear option in May 1998, made possible because of the commitment of successive Congress Governments to develop credible minimum nuclear deterrent to safeguard its national security and retain strategic autonomy.
• 2004-Congress's manifesto for 2004 Lok Sabha elections reiterated its commitment to "maintaining a credible nuclear weapons programme...... It will take a leadership role in promoting universal nuclear disarmament and working for a nuclear weapons free world order".
• 2005- Under July 2005 joint Statement, India reciprocally agreed to assume the same responsibilities and practices and acquire the same benefits and advantages as other leading countries with advanced nuclear technology such as the United States.
• The Agreement places India in a special category as a "State possessing advanced nuclear technology", like the US, with both parties "having the same benefits and advantages". This is a defect to recognition of India as a nuclear power.
• The objective of the 123 Agreement with the United States is to end India's international isolation and enable its full participation in international civil nuclear cooperation.
• The 123 Agreement provides for full civil nuclear energy cooperation. It continues a full reflection of the March, 2006 supply assurances, its linkage to safeguards in perpetuity and the provision for corrective measures in case of disruption of fuel supply. it provides for the development of a strategic reserve of nuclear fuel to guard against any disruption of supply over the lifetime of India's reactors. The Agreement grants India upfront the right to reprocess spent fuel!
• The 123 Agreement is not at the cost of (i) the autonomy of our strategic nuclear programme; (ii) our indigenous three stage nuclear programme; (iii) our research and development activities. Our government remains committed to all these.
• The 123 Agreement does not in any way affect India's right to undertake future nuclear tests, if it is necessary in India's national interest. A decision to undertake a future nuclear test would be our sovereign decision, one that rests solely with the government of India.
• The 123 Agreement entails no obligations for India to sign CTBT/FMCT. We, however, remain committed to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. We are also committed to negotiate on FMCT in the Conference on Disarmament.
• India's commitment is confined to the terms and provisions of the 123 Agreement only. The Hyde Act is only an enabling legislation to permit the US Administration to negotiate bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement with India.
• The Government has pursued the negotiations with the US on the 123 Agreement with an unprecedented measure of transparency, including three full debates in both houses of Parliament. The Government has addressed all apprehensions and concerns voiced by our partners and allies and scientists.
• UPA Government and Congress Party are committed to continue giving high priority to indigenous 3-stage nuclear programme, allowing utilization of enormous thorium reserves.
• It is critical that we maintain our current annual economic growth rates of 8-10% if we are to achieve the goal of eradicating poverty. Inadequacy of energy supply is one of the primary constraints on accelerating India's growth rate. Nuclear energy is a logical choice in this context and can make a larger contribution to our overall energy mix. At present, its share is only about 3% (3700 MWe) while France produces 80% of power from Nuclear Energy. We have an ambitious programme to increase our nuclear energy generating capacity to 20,000 MWe by 2020 and double this by 2030.
• In the future we hope to generate more power from various renewable and non-renewable energy sorces. It will enable India to meet the twin challenges of energy security and environmental sustainability.
• India will enormously benefit from access to nuclear technology, equipment and materials as it would enable India to run its indigenous reactors at full capacity and set-up more reactors at a faster pace, thereby producing more electricity which would mean more power for farmers, villages and industry.
• The 123 Agreement is signed between two countries as equal partners. This will pave the way for cooperation in civil nuclear energy with other countries including France and Russia. The Congress Party reaffirms its abiding commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and total nuclear disarmament which is universal and verifiable as was proposed by Rajiv Gandhi at the Special UN Session on Disarmament in 1988.