<p>With the India-America contact group on civil nuclear cooperation holding two rounds of discussion in New Delhi and Vienna recently, expectations are high over achieving “significant progress” during US president Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to India.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Senior government officials discussed ways to address concerns of the US companies over Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of India.<br /><br />US secretary of state John Kerry told journalists here on Monday that the bilateral civil nuclear energy cooperation was among the four issues to figure prominently during Obama’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on January 25. <br /><br />The American atomic power giant, Westinghouse Electric Company, too, said that it was “cautiously optimistic” that New Delhi and Washington would be able to make “significant progress” towards commercial implementation of the 2008 deal. <br /><br />Obama will begin his India visit on January 24. The US president will hold a meeting with Modi on January 25 and attend the Republic Day ceremony as the chief guest the next day.<br /><br />“We are cautiously optimistic that some significant progress could be achieved before the visit, as both governments have of late been trying hard to end the logjam,” Gary Urquhart, Westinghouse vice-president for India, said, while participating in a discussion at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit here.<br /><br />The Westinghouse was allotted a site at Mithivirdi in Gujarat long ago to build a nuclear power plant. But apart from an “Early Works Agreement” being inked between Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited in September 2013, no further progress could be made. <br /><br />The contact group on civil nuclear cooperation is likely to meet in New Delhi just ahead of Obama’s visit, sources told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />A senior official of the US state department said that New Delhi and Washington of late had “a great deal of rolling-up-your-sleeves discussions” to clear the roadblocks for American companies to set up nuclear power plants in India. <br /><br />“There’s a commitment from both sides to try and find a way through that. I don’t know whether that will be resolved in time for the president’s visit, but I think there is progress being made,” said the official, who accompanied Kerry to the summit.<br /><br />The contact group was set up when Modi met Obama at the White House on September 30. The group was mandated to discuss all issues for implementation of the civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement.<br /><br />An Indian official said that recent rounds of talks achieved substantial progress. The American officials sought and were provided with certain clarifications on New Delhi’s proposal to create an “insurance pool” led by the General Insurance Company of India to address the concerns of US nuke companies.<br />DH News Service</p>
<p>With the India-America contact group on civil nuclear cooperation holding two rounds of discussion in New Delhi and Vienna recently, expectations are high over achieving “significant progress” during US president Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to India.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Senior government officials discussed ways to address concerns of the US companies over Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of India.<br /><br />US secretary of state John Kerry told journalists here on Monday that the bilateral civil nuclear energy cooperation was among the four issues to figure prominently during Obama’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on January 25. <br /><br />The American atomic power giant, Westinghouse Electric Company, too, said that it was “cautiously optimistic” that New Delhi and Washington would be able to make “significant progress” towards commercial implementation of the 2008 deal. <br /><br />Obama will begin his India visit on January 24. The US president will hold a meeting with Modi on January 25 and attend the Republic Day ceremony as the chief guest the next day.<br /><br />“We are cautiously optimistic that some significant progress could be achieved before the visit, as both governments have of late been trying hard to end the logjam,” Gary Urquhart, Westinghouse vice-president for India, said, while participating in a discussion at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit here.<br /><br />The Westinghouse was allotted a site at Mithivirdi in Gujarat long ago to build a nuclear power plant. But apart from an “Early Works Agreement” being inked between Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited in September 2013, no further progress could be made. <br /><br />The contact group on civil nuclear cooperation is likely to meet in New Delhi just ahead of Obama’s visit, sources told Deccan Herald.<br /><br />A senior official of the US state department said that New Delhi and Washington of late had “a great deal of rolling-up-your-sleeves discussions” to clear the roadblocks for American companies to set up nuclear power plants in India. <br /><br />“There’s a commitment from both sides to try and find a way through that. I don’t know whether that will be resolved in time for the president’s visit, but I think there is progress being made,” said the official, who accompanied Kerry to the summit.<br /><br />The contact group was set up when Modi met Obama at the White House on September 30. The group was mandated to discuss all issues for implementation of the civil nuclear energy cooperation agreement.<br /><br />An Indian official said that recent rounds of talks achieved substantial progress. The American officials sought and were provided with certain clarifications on New Delhi’s proposal to create an “insurance pool” led by the General Insurance Company of India to address the concerns of US nuke companies.<br />DH News Service</p>
