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INDIA: Opposition to ‘Nuclearism’ Builds Up

By Ranjit Devraj

NEW DELHI, Jun 24 (IPS) – As India follows up on the historic civilian nuclear agreement it signed last year with the United States by drawing up hard commercial deals, opposition to ‘nuclearism’ is building up among activist groups.

The ‘India-U.S. Economic Relations: The Next Decade’ report released this week by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) says that the nuclear deal marks the beginning of a new era……………………… “India intends to import 24 reactors in the next 11-15 years, and could create as many as 20,000 new jobs directly and indirectly in the U.S. from nuclear trade,” the CII report says.

But although it was the U.S. that pushed India’s case past the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC), other countries – notably France and Russia – are eager players in India’s expanding nuclear commerce………………………………….. Anti-nuclear activists believe that India – following the completion of the Indo-US deal – is on the threshold of a new era of ‘nuclearisation’ which will have far-reaching effects on the way the country is run.

“With the India-U.S. nuclear deal, and the deals with Russia and France and likely private participation in nuclear energy generation, the situation is going to get out of hand in our country,” says S.P. Udayakumar, convenor of the newly launched National Alliance of Anti-nuclear Movements (NAAM).

NAAM, launched at a three-day convention held in Kanyakumari in southern Tamil Nadu, during the first week of June, plans to mobilise ordinary Indians against the ‘nuclearisation’ of the country and protect people against nuclear threats and destruction of the environment from nuclear waste and radiation.

NAAM warns Indian citizens that they are up against a “combination of profiteering companies, secretive state apparatuses and a repressive nuclear department which will be ruthless.”

“This nexus of capitalism, statism and nuclearism does not augur well for the country. These forces are gaining an upper hand in our national polity which will sound the death knell for the country’s democracy, openness, and prospects for sustainable development,” Udayakumar told IPS.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47353

June 24, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, radioactive, uranium