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India has said that while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has a unique role in promoting nuclear technologies for the betterment of humankind, it should not be utilized for political ends or objectives beyond its original purpose. Participating in a debate on the report of the IAEA in the 59th Session of UN General Assembly at New York on Monday, the Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri Rao Inderjit Singh said that effective measures should be evolved to check nuclear proliferation without constraining in any way the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. India would be a partner in such an effort and would shoulder the obligation flowing from it, he added.
Shri Singh said that India has been an active supporter and partner in many of the IAEA programmes, particularly those related to nuclear power, especially, Innovative Nuclear Reactor and Fuel Cycles (INPRO). As a responsible nuclear power India has developed its capability in a self reliant manner and is fully conscious of the immense responsibility that come with the possession of such advanced capabilities. India remains fully committed to the objective of non-proliferation and is using its indigenous resources, to fulfill our national interests, in a manner, which meets the requirements of this objective. But, at the same time, India believes that efforts to prevent proliferation should not impose undue restrictions on the development and utilization of nuclear energy.
Shri Rao underlined that India’s nuclear energy programme is operated under the highest standards of safety and environment. Safety operations through the entire nuclear fuel cycle, from prospecting and mining of ores to management of waste, encompass all the aspects of safety, including the radiological, industrial, occupational, fire and environmental spheres. An independent body, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Body (AERB), monitors safety in conformity with standards recommended by the IAEA and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The safety record of our reactors is amongst the best in the world, the Minister said.
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