India has excellent nuclear safety record: top official

Safety of nuclear technology comes through a troika of design, operation and regulation and India has had excellent track record in this regard, a top official has said.

Safety of nuclear technology comes through a troika of design, operation and regulation and India has had excellent track record in this regard, a top official has said.

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Delivering a speech on 'Nuclear Power Programs: India and Global' at the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, principal scientific advisor to government of India R Chidambaram said the three parameters need to be enveloped by a culture of safety and environment.

Chidambaram said that energy is the driver of development and that India is looking to increase its installed nuclear power capacity to 20,000MW by 2020.

"Nuclear is now an accepted mitigation technology in the context of climate change. But if it is to be sustainable mitigation technology, the nuclear cycle has to be closed. India is planning to do so," Chidambaram said.

The former director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) said what we are looking for is not just nuclear technology but sustainable nuclear technology.

He said that attracting talented students to a career in science is a challenge but the country is beginning to build a research and development ecosystem.

He also commended the achievements of India's National Knowledge Network, which connects hundreds of labs and research centres.

Speaking on the occasion, India's ambassador to the UAE, M K Lokesh lauded Chidambaram's contribution to India's nuclear technology.

"Energy is a major challenge for India and the country needs nuclear power. India's completely indigenous nuclear programme has not just contributed in this domain but has also helped in areas such as defence, medicine and power generation," Lokesh said.