Mufti pitches for N-energy at UN

PITCHING strongly for nuke power as an alternative source of energy for power-starved countries like India, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Syed, has said India with its advanced technology is prepared to help out other countries of the world in this regard.

Arguing that nuclear power is now an inevitable and indispensable part of the solution to the world’s growing energy needs, Syed while addressing the UN General Assembly on a report presented by the International Atomic Energy Agency, said India believes IAEA should pay special attention to promotion and development of nuclear energy in those regions where developmental needs and aspirations remain pressing and unfulfilled.

In his speech Syed affectively articulated India’s stand on use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, its own scientific advancement in this arena despite being isolated from mainstream for decades and the crucial issue of assured supply of nuclear fuel in a manner that does not concern proliferation.

It is to meet its growing energy needs, he said, that India has focused on nuclear fuel as its major source of energy. The emerging possibility for expanding civil nuclear cooperation between India and the international community would supplement our domestic efforts to meet the developmental aspirations of our people through additional energy inputs, he said.

He noted that India, in accordance with its commitment and its record as a responsible state with advanced nuke technology is prepared to supplement international efforts in promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy. With its well-established high level of RD capabilities and sizeable pool of highly qualified and trained manpower, India is prepared and offers to supplement international efforts for sustainable growth of nuclear energy worldwide, while addressing proliferation concerns, Syed told the international body.

India believes that it is possible and feasible to enhance the share of nuclear energy as a clean energy source of the future while taking care of the imperatives of nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation, he said, adding that India stands willing to support the efforts of the international community and the IAEA towards further development of nuclear energy to meet the growing energy needs of the world.

With India’s expertise in closed fuel-cycle well-established, Syed argued that this technology is essential if nuclear power is to make sustained contributions at a large enough scale necessary to meet global energy needs. India also believes that reprocessing and recycling of nuclear fuel is essential not only for this purpose but also for the reduction of long-term radio toxicity and security implication of disposal of spent fuel as such, he said.