The Centre on Monday blamed foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for aiding protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu and reiterated that the government was committed to producing “clean and cheap” nuclear energy in the country.
“Foreign NGOs are supporting the movement…some [foreign] NGOs are interested in it [protests]. I am aware of these NGOs, but I am not going to name those countries [to which these NGOs belong],” Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told journalists here.
Pushing the case for nuclear energy, Mr. Shinde said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made it clear that India needed nuclear energy, which was clean and a cheap source of energy. “Initially, the costs are high [for setting up the nuclear power plant]…but in 4-5 years it becomes a cheap source of energy. The cost of nuclear power is very low…we must have such energy,” he said.
Following protests against the project earlier this year, the government blamed some U.S.-based NGOs for trying to sabotage the plant.
