- After years of banning sale of Uranium to India, Australia is set to supply it

to India for civil nuclear purposes.

- Australian PM Paul Abot has said that despite previous reservations in his cou
ntry to sell Uranium to India, it has been overcome now. One of the reasons for
not doing it eearlier is that India is not a signatory to Nuclear proliferation
Treaty.
- This regular supply of U to Idia will help us to manage and operate the new nu
clear plants.
- There have been objections by certain sections relating to the risks and capac
ity of India to deal with it.
- The reservation of not selling U to India in Australia was overcome 2 years ag
o under the previous Govt. It took 2 years to agree and sign the deal actually.
- India's already got U from Russia and Kazhakistan and also supplies from Uzbek
istan and France. So U from Australia is imp. but not critical. The only 2 count
ries (major producers) from whom we hadn't imported U are Canada and Australia.
- We also have deal signed up Canada. These new deals with Australia and Canada
are good keeping in eye the future U needs.
- Australia supplies 500 tonnes to China as of now. India wouldn't be needing th
at much, as of now. However sregular supply of couple of hundred tonnes would ac
count for the need over the top of the existing supplies.
- The imported U can only be used in our safeguarded reactors, but our safeguard
ed reactors are already running on the existing supplies.
- Reasons for opposition by the anti-nuclear ativists against this deal :
- Australian U corporates are notorious for victimization of the
aboriginal communities there in Australia. There were decade long battles and A
ustralian U industry has exposed itself as an apartheid industry. The Australian
court has stopped them for U dumps in sites and all.
- It will indirectly activate and improvise India's nuclear powe
rs because India's reserves of U will now be free to be used for strategic purpo
ses.
- Thirdly, it will fuel in an insane, unsafe, uneconomic and ina
ccountable nuclear expanion in India which has been opposed by people strongly a
t the grass-roots in places like kodankulum, Chaitanpur, CHutka, Mithiwirdi etc.
based on environmental concerns, questions on livelihood and safety and so on.
- FOurthly, It will devoid India from taking on to non-nuclear a
nd renewable sources of energy where many countries are adopting to the same in
a post-fukushima world
The plutonium that comes out of the unsafeguarded reactors can be used f
or weaponization. This is in context to a time when there's increased arm-size i
n South Asia and regimes which are known to be ultra-nationalist and fundamental
ist.
- The breakthrough came in 2011 in the Bali-asian summit when Obama talked to bo
th : PM manmohan singh and then PM, Australia Julia Gilard. And that time the In
dia Nuclear Liability law had just come in and the Americans didn't know what wa
s in store for them.
- Australia wants India to get a tighter embrace and play some role in the south
-china sea and nearby areas. This is the beginning of opening up of strategic re
lationship between India and Australia.
- Korea already signed, Canada willing to sign and we being just left with japan
, is actually a sign of the entire world understanding the role of India in the
changed nuclear order of the world despite non-signing of the NPT. This will enh
ance the position as a major responsible player in the nuclear arena.
- None of the reactor suppliers i.e. US, France and Russia because of India's li
ability bill have signed any nuclear agreements. Till that happens our nuclear p
ower program will develop to the extent we had hoped it will. Besides indian man
ufacturers are not very keen to supply indigenous reactors to India because they
'll also be affected by the liability law. So unless our indigenous reactors gro
w fast enough, supply of U by Australia may not be of good use.
- We are already importing gas and coal from Australia. May be we start looking
beyond commodity exports and imports alne and start thinking of a compressive ec
onomic partnership agreement with Australia.
- Australia has a fairly good defence technology. So this agreement paves path f
or codevelopment of defence equipments for the Indian forces.
- Energy sector would come next. Besides number of indian students in AUstrala c
an only stand next to those in US. Australia and India also have long history of
sports relationships. The only impediment as india felt rightly was the nuclear
thing as there were all kinds of talks of non-proliferation etc.
- Think tanks see this as a motive to contain China. The think tank of Australia
feels consternation when Chinese come near Sulawsi or the antipodal islands nea
r Australian flanks.
- Rivalry in the southern Indian ocean between India and Australia.
- China is now the largest buyer of U from Australia. So Australia would of cour
se like to have another major buyer to avoid dictates of China as the sole major
buyer.