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Journalism of Courage
The silly season before elections has started early this time, with different parties posturing on the nuclear deal, and demanding 8220;debate8221; in Parliament. Let us rehearse the arguments: to some, all our problems on the energy front will be resolved once the deal is operationalised. Capacity growth in the electricity sector was 66 per cent in the 8217;90s, which was half of that in the 8217;80s at 118 per cent but twice this decade8217;s mere 30 per cent; this will now be in the past, with brand new nuclear plants, preferably in the private sector. There will be no power cuts, no low growth of electricity generation pulling GDP growth down; falling electricity consumption in agricultural and rural sectors will be in the past. Poor people will all be energised. To others, India has been permanently enslaved by a weak-kneed sarkar to the Americans. There will be no fuel, no new technology, terrible environmental problems and a little bit of very expensive electricity. Also, the Pakistanis and their Chinese friends will get us in the future, defenceless, without bombs. Since, more often than not, Parliament is not allowed to function, these debates will take place in soundbites outside. There will be Big Fights and Punchesnbsp;in the media and we will go back to sleep pretty much where we are.nbsp;
Look at the facts. We have been saying all along that the uranium trade is the most politically loaded of fuel trades. It is much worse than the oil cartel. After the Aussies, can anyone deny that? The Canadians are going in for an election and if their government changes there may be problems there too. But what the critics will not accept is that we will not be on the wrong side of international law. We will not be North Korea if we buy uranium. The Russians, who do not forget the deals they signed with Rajiv Gandhi in the Rajiv-Gorbachev accord, have always made it clear that both light water reactors and fuel are on once the NSG clearance is achieved. Ditto for the French and their quest for a strategic relationship with India. The United States is never going to ignore the Indian market.nbsp;
But we have had chances before: in 1988, the Soviets promised their most advanced light water reactors to India as also collaboration on geostationary rockets to deliver the heaviest payloads in space, but successor governments cried off. The French president in the late 8216;90s signed a strategic relationship with India now resurfacing again. In November 1997, the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited India to sign a pact on technology cooperation. It will be for us to navigate this difficult terrain, but this time we will not do so as outlaws.
Those who crib now were, or would have liked to have been, at the forefront of such efforts 8212; as that terrible tool, the internet, can prove. The origin goes back to Rajiv Gandhi; the NDA8217;s pointsman, Brajesh Mishra, has said he wished he had done it; for the Left and the third front, let me quote what the UF government said in 1997: 8220;The government is open to specific offers for private sector participation in nuclear power generation. According to Alagh, the offers will be considered based on technical suitability, economic attractiveness, and conditions attached to it.8221; I was then a minister.
If we don8217;t fund nuclear power investments and technology, or run our facilities badly, nuclear power at the margin will cost us above eight rupees a unit; but if we do all this it will compete. Placid Rodrigues, the developer of our own thorium-based plant refers to a study I shared with him showing how an imported technology was improved at home and learning reduced the cost by half. He showed that thorium-based fast breeders would do the same, costing say five rupees a unit 8212; not different from imported hydrocarbon-based power plants. He passed away a few weeks ago, going unnoticed, as is the fate of all pioneers in this country. We need to honour their memory by example.nbsp;
The writer, a former Union minister, is chairman, Institute of Rural Management, Anand
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