Topic: Nuclear Energy - Basic Concepts

Question : Critically evaluate the India’s Nuclear energy programme?

Ans. India's nuclear research programme aims to develop and utilise nuclear energy for peaceful purposes such as power generation, applications in agriculture, medical sciences, industry and other areas, India is today globally acknowledged as one of the advanced countries nuclear technology. The country is self-reliant and excels in the expertise covering the complete nuclear cycle from exploration and mining to power generation and from applications of nuclear technology to waste management and other safety issues.

The main objective of India's nuclear energy programme, as defined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1948, is the development, control and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and development of various nuclear applications. The programme has laid great emphasis on 'self-reliance' and ‘indigenisation from its very beginning'. Apart from being a potentials source of electricity that could satisfy our requirement for next 300 years, nuclear energy research has various other crucial applications important for our socio-economic development as also for our defence requirements.

Although nuclear disarmament has not been the. thrust area of India's nuclear programme, India did visualise a need to adopt a more comprehensive approach to security - encompassing economic strength, internal cohesion and technological upgradation in the emerging global scenario. India remains a firm and consistent proponent of general and complete global nuclear disarmament; as against any discriminatory doctrine in this regard. India's policy on disarmament also takes into account changes that have taken. place in the world, especially in the 1990s onwards. The nuclear tests of May 1998 do not dilute India's commitment to the long held objective of nuclear disarmament. This sets the country apart from other nuclear weapon states, which reject global nuclear disarmament proposals because they refuse to visualise their security without nuclear weapons. As a. nuclear weapon state, India is even more conscious of its responsibility in this regard and, as in the past, initiatives in pursuit of global nuclear disarmament continue to be taken by India.

India's nuclear weapon capability is meant only for self-defence and seeks only to ensure that India's security, independence and integrity are not threatened in future. India's nuclear doctrine is based on maintaining a minimum credible deterrence and a no-first-use policy as opposed to nuclear war fighting or warning doctrines. It is, therefore, natural for India to take initiatives that aim to reduce the threat-of break-out of nuclear war and also to take initiatives that promote peaceful and more meaningful applications of nuclear technology.

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