By KUNA
New Delhi : India’s External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday asserted that the civilian nuclear deal with the United States would help the country to attain energy security. “The India-US civil nuclear energy cooperation is precisely intended to address our concerns on energy security,” Mukherjee said today at the sixth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non Resident Indian Conference) at Delhi. “Today, more than ever, the need for ensuring energy security for a rapidly growing economy like ours is acute,” the Minister said.
“Today, a barrel of oil has touched 100 usd and this has sent shock waves across the world. For India, it means additional resource allocation of millions of dollars in our national plan,” Mukherjee stated. India will hold the fourth round of talks on a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later this month. Following the successful conclusion of talks with the IAEA, India would approach the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group for the operationalisation of the nuclear deal.