New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Underlining India’s commitment to universal nuclear disarmament, India Tuesday pointed to “deficiencies” in the global non-proliferation regime that impacted adversely on the country’s security.
Inaugurating a three-day conference on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy here, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underscored the growing importance of nuclear energy for India while hailing the return of the country to “the global nuclear mainstream” after a gap of over three decades.

India can generate 470,000 MW of power by 2050 if the three stages of the country’s nuclear programme are managed well, he said.

Under renewed global pressure for signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the prime minister reiterated India’s commitment to a voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing and stressed that it would participate in negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) as a nuclear weapon state.

“It is a matter of regret that the global non-proliferation regime has not succeeded in preventing nuclear proliferation. Its deficiencies, in fact, have had an adverse impact on our security,” Manmohan Singh said in a subtle reference to Pakistan’s nuclear programme which has been allegedly supported by China, an official nuclear weapon state.

It was also a dig at Pakistan’s nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan who ran an illegal network to proliferate nuclear technologies to countries like North Korea, Iran and Libya.

Global non-proliferation, the prime minister stressed, should be universal, comprehensive and non-discriminatory and linked to the goal of complete nuclear disarmament in order to be successful.

“India is proud of its non-proliferation record and is committed to global efforts for preventing the proliferation of all weapons of mass destruction,” Manmohan Singh said while reminding the world of the “spectre of nuclear terrorism”.

Amid dissenting positions by some Indian nuclear scientists questioning India’s nuclear deterrence, Manmohan Singh reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to “a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing”.

“We are committed to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. As a nuclear weapon state and a responsible member of the international community we will participate constructively in the negotiations of an FMCT (Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty) in the Conference on Disarmament,” he said.

India became a de facto nuclear weapon state after it conducted multiple tests in 1998. It has not signed the NPT on grounds that it is discriminatory as it tends to divide the world into the nuclear haves and have-nots.

Manmohan Singh’s remarks come days after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution aimed at stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. Earlier, Manmohan Singh had made it clear India would not sign discriminatory pacts like the NPT. The prime minister had also clarified that the resolution was not directed at India and will not affect the implementation of the India-US civil nuclear deal.

Backing strengthening of global efforts in improving nuclear security, the prime minister welcomed US President Barack Obama’s “timely initiative” to convene a Global Summit on Nuclear Security in 2010. The NPT review conference is also planned for 2010. In this context, he welcomed ongoing negotiations by the US and Russia, who together account for over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, to cut their nuclear arsenals.

Manmohan Singh batted vigorously for peaceful uses of nuclear energy, saying India would be a significant factor in the ongoing worldwide nuclear renaissance.

“If we can manage our programme well, our three-stage strategy could yield potentially 470,000 MW of power by the year 2050,” Manmohan Singh said.

“Our nuclear industry is poised for a major expansion and there will be huge opportunities for the global nuclear industry to participate in the expansion of India’s nuclear energy programme.”