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Sense of House needs to be taken on n-deal: panel

Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI: A Parliamentary Committee on Science and Technology has expressed the opinion that the civilian nuclear agreement with the U.S. has to be looked at from the larger perspective of national security and interest.

In its report tabled in Parliament earlier this week, the Standing Committee observed: “Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement has caused serious concerns with regard to our foreign policy and security related issues on which our Parliament had to debate several times. The sense of the Parliament needs to be taken into consideration.”

The Committee’s observations come at a time when the United Progressive Alliance-Left joint committee on the India-U.S. nuclear deal is scheduled to meet here on May 6.

At the last meeting held in March, the government had briefed it about the India-specific negotiations conducted with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA.) It had been earlier agreed in the joint committee that the IAEA negotiations would come under its purview and the government would sign the agreement with the IAEA only after clearance from the committee.

The fifth round of discussions with the IAEA concluded in February. Considerable progress was made during these five rounds of negotiations and further consultations were on with the agency, the committee was informed by the Ministry.

The committee, headed by AIADMK member of the Rajya Sabha V. Maitreyan, acknowledged the increasing energy requirements of the country but felt that the thrust must be on the indigenous “three-stage programme” on which India’s scientists were working with great confidence and optimism.

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