INDIA
Singh said that since there were "some hitches" in finalising the India-specific agreement with IAEA and India was yet to go to NSG.
NEW DELHI: Apparently rejecting Left criticism, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday suggested that the agreement with Russia for building four additional nuclear reactors in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu was not signed during his recent visit to Moscow because it was considered premature in the absence of India-specific safeguards with IAEA and NSG.
"It has always been made known to us that the agreement could be operationalised only if we have India-specific safeguards agreement with IAEA and also the NSG gives India exemption from their restrictive guidelines," he said on the way to Singapore to attend the ASEAN summit.
Singh said that since there were "some hitches" in finalising the India-specific agreement with IAEA and India was yet to go to NSG, "it was felt it would be premature to finalise the agreement (with Russia) which we cannot operationalise".
The Prime Minister said discussions were on with Moscow and those four reactors would be in place as soon as "we have India-specific safeguards agreement and get NSG Okay".
India and Russia had entered into a MoU for setting up four additional reactors at Kudankulam, he said.
The Left parties had criticised the government for not going ahead with the agreement with Moscow and had asked whether India was afraid of displeasing the US.
On the prospects of support from Russia and China to the Indo-US nuclear deal at the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Prime Minister sounded hopeful.
"The Chinese have not said they will not support us," he said when asked how hopeful he was about Beijing's backing.
On Russian support, he said he had been discussing the matter with President Vladimir Putin for two years. "The Russians have been very very supportive of India in dealing with IAEA and also we had assurance of support till the matter goes through the NSG."
Asked whether the management of nuclear deal with the allies could have been done differently, he said "there is always scope for improvement. One always learns from experience".
Raima Sen mourns Bharat Dev Varma's demise, pens emotional note for 'great father, great husband'
DNA TV Show: Ahead of Maharashtra poll results, MVA, Mahayuti engage in resort politics
Maharashtra: Stage set for assembly poll results; Mahayuti, MVA confident of their victories
All set for vote counting in Jharkhand tomorrow; NDA, JMM-led alliances confident of winning
Watch: Australia star inquires Rishabh Pant about his next IPL team, gets 2-word reply
Shah Rukh Khan’s house Mannat was first offered to his industry rival…, but he refused because...
The Visionary Who Promises a Blue Sky for India: Holger Thorsten Schubart’s G20 Climate Speech
The Surge of High-End Living: Luxury Residential Market to Outpace Other Segments
FeFCon 2024 to be Held in Bangalore: A Premier Event on Fever Management
'That’s wild': Noida man turns cigarette butts into teddy bears in viral video, watch
London Airport evacuates passengers over security threat, thousands stranded
The World’s First Innovative Iron Supplement to Combat Iron Deficiency and Anaemia
Meet grandmother who became fashion icon after trying on her granddaughter’s clothes
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...