India, Canada reach civil nuclear pact

Announcing the agreement here on Saturday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the rapidity with which the two countries had firmed up the deal was “beyond” his expectations.

The announcement came following a meeting between the two prime ministers on the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) here.
“We have now got an agreement, which means this is a tremendous opportunity for both countries, Harper told newsmen in the presence of Singh.

The Canadian prime minister added that the formalisation of the agreement would take some time as a “normal legal text and a ratification process (in the Canadian Parliament) would have to gone through”

The agreement would pave the way for Canadian participation in India’s ambitious nuclear power generation plans to meet the country’s energy needs.