The show continues....

Sadly most debates on the Nuclear Deal always ended the same way; those who opposed it were branded either a leftist or a BJP. And for those of us who were neither, started doubting if we really had joined the communists or the BJP! (I am not saying that the Communists or the BJP are any worse than the Congress)

Yesterday’s revelation did not come as a surprise since throughout the entire drama, even the Congress at one did admit that it was a commercial deal and not a deal which will miraculously do away with our current energy crisis. As for a commercial deal, anyone with common sense can decipher that it would be the US who would benefit more than the Indians. And as for the Indians, we all know where the wealth is going.

But then the Congress managed by hooks or crook to stay in power irrespective of the fact that there were more pressing issues at home. But if this said letter had been revealed earlier or if our PM was not so naïve (I don’t want to call him a liar as yet), the Congress Party would have been taught a much needed lesson.

The answers were considered so sensitive, particularly because the debate over the agreement in India could have toppled the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the State Department requested they remain secret even though they were not classified,” according to the Washington Post which quoted a spokesman for Berman as saying he had made the answers public because the US Congress must have “relevant information”.

The deal.....

Meanwhile...... did we applaud our scientists enough?

or have we lost our faith in them?

India’s thorium success
The Financial Express
Posted online: IST

Tuesday , May 13, 2008 at 2233 hrs

Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the Indian physicist, had stayed in Europe before World War II, and made important discoveries about cosmic rays. Upon his return to India, he campaigned for Indian research institutions devoted to physics and nuclear energy. Shortly after Indian independence in 1947, Bhabha was assigned the task of establishing the India’s Atomic Energy Commission, and developing a nuclear research programme.


During the first UN Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy (1955), Bhabha argued that India lacked energy resources, and for the Indian people to have a Western standard of living, Indian electricity must be generated by nuclear means. He once remarked that, “No energy is costlier than no energy.” In the 1950s, with American and Canadian help, India began to make its first reactor, the heavywater Cirus.

[For fuel self-sufficiency], Bhabha believed that the Indian nuclear research must be directed toward the development of the thorium fuel cycle—via a three-stage programme. In the first stage, heavywater reactors using unenriched uranium derived from India’s limited uranium reserve, would be constructed. The use of heavywater reactors meant that India did not need expensive uranium enrichment facilities. During the second stage, India was to construct fast breeder reactors, which burned plutonium reprocessed from the spent fuel of the heavywater reactors as well as their depleted uranium. During the third stage, thorium was to be bred, and U-233 would fuel Indian power reactors.

Indians have been faithful to Bhabha’s vision. They have found a highly fuel efficient technology by ingeniously mastering and organising relatively old nuclear technologies, and leveraging them into a fuel efficient system. India is on the brink of a significant accomplishment.



A breakthrough for India – Thorium reactor makes civilian nuke deal with America unnecessary
Shova pundit
Jul. 2, 2007


Strategically India needs the nuke deal with America. But technologically, India achieved a solid breakthrough that will make the nuclear deal with American unnecessary. A team of scientists at a premier Indian nuclear facility has designed an innovative reactor that can run on thorium - available in abundance in the country - and will eventually do away with the need for uranium.

That is a fitting reply to the Australians that sold Uranium to China in abundance and refused India any Uranium. It is also a fitting reply to America trying to control Indian nuclear independence.

Our Oxygen?

Nuclear deal.. is it on or off??

My friend George wrote thus .......

You are left!

This is what we face now. Anyone who opposes the nuclear deal are dumped with the Left and they are also seen as opposing the one saving factor that will help India to achieve the Global power status.

I am neither left nor right. But after seeing the world through my eyes all these years, I have my reservations.

Somehow I like this article that I found in Outlook...

Nuclear deal...finally some light in this room..

Finally I read something worthwhile in the paper!

1- Bashing the Left for its opposition to the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal has, indeed, become the flavour of the month.

I agree.. since none of the papers gave a favourable article and they were very keen in publishing polls showing that more than 95% of the Indians are for the nuclear deal. They never asked for my opinion!

2- B Raman, a former senior officer of India’s intelligence apparatus, slanderously wrote on this page (The Manchurian candidates, August 21) that the Left’s campaign against India’s nuclear deal is “driven by China’s concerns”.

I don’t agree with this.. of course they share the same ideologies but when it comes to policies I trust the communists more. I can use many examples from my own state Kerala, although we use every opportunity to batter them, deep in our hearts we know that the most honest and able leaders came from the communist party.

3- In 2006, 3.9 gw of nuclear power was generated, 3 per cent of India’s total power generation. In the most optimistic scenario, after the operationalisation of this deal, this would grow, at best, to 20 gw by 2016, or just over 6 per cent of the projected generation.

So what are we giving up for this increase in 6%? When the facts are thus.....

4- Further, is nuclear power cost-effective? On the contrary, it is the most expensive option. As compared to coal, it would be one-and-a-half times more expensive. Compared with gas, it is twice as expensive. So is the case with hydro-electricity. Given the abundance of coal reserves in India, the Planning Commission estimates that thermal energy would dominate power generation in India. As far as hydro-electricity is concerned, given the potential of nearly 150 gw, only 33 gw has been installed as of 2006. In addition, over 55,000 MW could be imported from Nepal and Bhutan. The tapping of such huge hydro-potential will not only augment our energy capacities at half the cost of nuclear energy, but will also tame these rivers, which regularly consume the lives of thousands. This year’s floods according to the United Nations, are ‘unprecedented’ in human memory.

Yes, there is more to this wonderful deal..

5- Huge commercial orders running into thousands of crores of rupees for the purchase of nuclear reactors would be placed on the US. The profit bonanza to multinational corporations is there for all to see with the attendant benefits to sections of corporate India. Recollect that for more than three decades the West has not installed new nuclear power reactors.

And..

6-Apart from drawing India into the US strategic military alliances in the region like the forthcoming joint military exercises with the US, Japan, Australia and Singapore, and the effort at pressurising India’s foreign policy positions, this deal does not even guarantee full and complete access to civilian nuclear technology as assured by the Prime Minister in the Rajya Sabha. In fact, the 123 agreement forbids the transfer of dual-use technologies.

Thank you Mr. Sitaram Yechury… I see some light in this room now…

The nuclear deal… can someone switch on the lights please….

The nuclear deal between Indian and US has come to a stand still since the Left and BJP are crying foul. Now it was Mr. Vajpayee ( I respect this man a lot) during the time of the BJP rule who started the discussion on this deal. The Left, as we all know were always opposed to anything that has an American tag and would prefer goodies coming from their like minded friends in China or Russia. But we very well know that Russia refused nuclear fuel on some petty reasons and China is now very happy that this deal is not going through.

There are many, both in India and America who are not happy with this deal. The Americans still don’t trust India and feels that India may use the technology and fuel for its military purpose.

India would want to develop a nuclear weapon, specially since its neighbour Pakistan has not stopped going in this direction but the world should keep in mind that India has always been a responsible country with a vibrant democracy.

But now that the deal has come to a stand still and if the Left and BJP has any reasons for their stance, can they please explain the pros and cons? Of course there has to be a “give and take” attitude in every deal, but can we know what we are giving up. Can someone explain this is plain English. And if the Left wants to oppose, can they give an alternative to India’s need for energy? Ok, there is Iran, but how viable is this when the pipe lines are going through Pakistan?

It is not that I do not trust Mr.Manmohan Singh, but please throw some light.