India expresses concern over China supplying nuclear reactors to Pak

NEW DELHI - Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan has expressed concern over China supplying nuclear reactors to Pakistan, and urged the global community to look at the collaboration considering Islamabad’s track record on nuclear technology.

“Our concern is Pakistan does not have a good track record as we have. The global community has to very closely look at the collaboration. We have expressed our concerns at the appropriate place, citing previous illegal exchanges of nuclear technology,” said Chavan, while talking to the media persons on the sidelines of the silver jubilee celebrations of the Fast Breeder Test Reactor and Radiometallurgy Laboratory at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu on Saturday.

Further talking about granting permission to private domestic or foreign companies operate nuclear power stations amending Atomic Energy Act, Chavan said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government does not find a need to change the law.

“Right now money is not an issue to allow them operate. We are inviting domestic government owned companies as minority partners for Nuclear Power Corporation of India,” said Chavan adding the Government is also thinking of providing more autonomy to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

“There is an internal debate as to the shape of additional autonomy that AERB should be given. We are looking at African countries to buy uranium mines, adopting the ONGC model,” he added. (ANI)