No compromise on India's strategic programme: DAE

Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar said on Friday that there could be no compromise on the country's strategic nuclear programme.

"Nuclear energy with its several million-fold higher calorific value and negligible greenhouse gas emissions has the potential to make a paradigm change for the better. It goes without saying that there can be no compromise on India's strategic programme which is in the process," the nuclear scientist said at the 54th convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.

Stating that India is among the world leaders in nuclear technology, Kakodkar, who is also secretary to the department of atomic energy, said the country needed some additional uranium to start with, over and above what is already available.

Kakodkar said India had been self-reliant in its capabilities to pursue an autonomous path which was best suited for the country, but for the embargo which currently exists.

The nuclear scientist said India would pursue a three-stage domestic development programme which can lead to unleashing vast energy potential present in the country's thorium resources on high priority.

Kakodkar said it was interesting that nuclear power plants, which were generating electricity, also produced nuclear fuel, while fast breeder reactors produced more fuel than they consumed. He said this would help India in increasing generation of electricity without the need for additional external fuel.

The demand-supply gap in energy would progressively widen over the next few decades, the nuclear scientist added.

During the convocation, IIT Kharagpur conferred degrees to successful students and scholars in various technical and engineering fields.