India must have option of nuclear power: PM

 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said his government was committed to ensuring foolproof security of nuclear power plants but it would be harmful for the country to pass an ordinance against nuclear power.

"We must put everything to ensure foolproof safety of the nuclear plants and we will not compromise on it.

"But at the same time I would respectfully submit it would be harmful for the country's interest to pass an ordinance in the self-denial that we shall give up the option of having nuclear power," the prime minister said during question hour in the Lok Sabha.

He said there was no compromise when it came to the question of safety. "We have 19 functional reactors and there has never been any accident. After Fukushima, I ordered a complete revisit to all the reactors and those reports are on the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) website."

He said India must keep the option of nuclear power as an additional source of power.
"We are not in a situation like Japan, where large amount of power comes from nuclear plants … France also has large number of nuclear power plants. We must keep the nuclear power as an additional source," he added.