India committed to nuclear disarmament: PM

New Delhi, Sept 29 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today reaffirmed India's commitment to nuclear disarmament while emphasising that if the country managed its nuclear programme well it would yield 470,000 MW of power by 2050.

'If we can manage our programme well, our three stage strategy could yield potentially 470,000 MW of power by the year 2050. This will sharply reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and will be a major contribution to global efforts to combat climate change,' Singh said inaugurating a three-day international conference on peaceful uses of nuclear energy here.

'In our country, we see nuclear energy as a vital component of our global energy mix. The vast energy potential of the three stage programme allows us really to think big. Our nuclear industry is poised for a major expansion and there will be huge opportunities for the global nuclear industry to participate in the expansion of India's nuclear energy programme,' he said.

He said: 'The peaceful uses of nuclear energy are not just about power. There are promising applications in the areas of agriculture, food production and preservation, medicine and water desalination. In India, we have successfully developed 37 mutant varieties of seeds for commercial cultivation using nuclear techniques.'

'Use of radiation technology for food preservation is growing. We have built a nuclear desalination plant at Kalpakkam and are working on the use of isotope hydrology techniques for rejuvenation of springs, which is an important source of drinking water. I see a growing role for nuclear energy in these areas in the coming decades,' he said.

The conference commemorates the birth centenary of one of India's greatest nation builders and scientific pioneers, Dr. Homi Bhabha.

Speaking on nuclear disarmament, he said a vital issue that is fundamental to the safety and security of all humanity is the destructive uses of nuclear energy.

'Just as we seek to enhance peaceful uses of nuclear energy, we have a pressing and immediate moral obligation to draw down and eventually do away with its destructive use of nuclear energy,' he said.

'I wish to reaffirm that this collective effort will have no greater proponent than India. India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had advocated the prohibition and abandonment of all weapons of mass destruction way back in the 1950s. It was a call that went largely unheeded at that time. We should not repeat the mistakes of the past,' he said.

'In 1988, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi put forward at the General Assembly of United Nations a comprehensive Action Plan for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. We remain committed to that objective,' he said.

'In 2006, India put forward a set of proposals at the United Nations General Assembly that outlined specific steps that could lead to the elimination of nuclear weapons. It included the proposal for the negotiation of a Nuclear Weapons Convention that would prohibit the development, production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons and providing for their elimination within a specified time frame,' he said.

He said it is a matter of regret that the global non-proliferation regime has not succeeded in preventing nuclear proliferation.

'Its deficiencies in fact have had an adverse impact on our security. Global non-proliferation, to be successful, should be universal, comprehensive and non-discriminatory and linked to the goal of complete nuclear disarmament. We believe that there is growing international acceptance for this viewpoint,' he said.

He said India is proud of its non-proliferation record and is committed to global efforts for preventing the proliferation of all weapons of mass destruction.

'We are committed to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. As a nuclear weapon state and a responsible member of the international community we will participate constructively in the negotiations of an FMCT in the Conference on Disarmament,' he said.

'We support strengthening international efforts in improving nuclear security and in this context, welcome President Obama's timely initiative to convene a Global Summit on Nuclear Security in 2010,' he said.

The Prime Minister said a number of agreements and reciprocal commitments were concluded as part of the Civil Nuclear Initiative to allow the resumption of full civil nuclear cooperation between India and the international community and 'we look forward to their full and effective implementation in the coming months and years'.

He said the return of India to the international nuclear global mainstream is of high significance not only for India but for global energy security as well.

'The International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles is an example of such international cooperation. India is a participant in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER Project. We are ready to contribute to global research and development into new proliferation-resistant fuel cycles. There are proposals for an international fuel bank and we would support efforts in this direction as a supplier nation,' he said.

Singh said the first stage of India's three stage nuclear programme, involving the setting up of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and associated fuel cycle facilities, has now reached a level of maturity.

'The technology for the manufacture of various components and equipment for PHWRs in India is now well established and has evolved through active collaboration with Indian industry. The second stage envisages setting up of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) backed by reprocessing plants and plutonium-based fuel fabrication plants. With the construction of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam we have now entered the second stage of the programme.

'A facility for reprocessing thorium fuel has also been set up. An Advanced Heavy Water Reactor has been designed and its construction will be launched in the near future. This will expedite the transition to thorium-based systems that will I believe mark the third stage of our programme. We are proud of the achievements of India's nuclear scientists and of our industry,' he said.