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New Delhi, Mar 29 (ANI): Asserting that the government will take all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of nuclear plants, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Tuesday said the future reactors that will be built in India will have to be certified by the Indian regulatory authority and meet its safety standards.

“The Government will take all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of our plants. I have already directed a technical review of all safety systems of our nuclear power plants using the best expertise available in our country,” said Dr. Singh on the occasion of the conferment of the Department of Atomic Energy’s Lifetime Achievement Awards 2009.

“The future reactors that will be built in India will have to be certified by the Indian regulatory authority and meet its safety standards. This will apply equally to reactors and technologies that are imported from abroad,” he added.

Dr. Singh said the government will strengthen the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and make it a truly autonomous and independent regulatory authority.

“We will strengthen the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and make it a truly autonomous and independent regulatory authority. We will ensure that it is of the highest and the best international standards,” said Dr. Singh.

“Our nuclear scientists and technologists are second to none. Your record proves that you have always risen to the challenge. I am confident that you will attain new heights of excellence for the welfare and benefit of our country. In this you will have the full support of the government,” he added.

The Prime Minister, who gave away the Lifetime Achievement Awards 2009 of the Department of Atomic Energy, extended his heartiest congratulations to the winners.

“I extend my heartiest congratulations to N. Srinivasan and I am sure you will all join me in sending him a message of speedy recovery to normal health, Dr. V. K. Iya, Professor Obaid Siddiqi and V. K. Mehra and their families for having been chosen for this highly prestigious award of the Atomic Energy fraternity,” said Dr. Singh.

“They have individually excelled in their areas of specialization, in many ways they have become leaders and role models and it is for me a great sense of pride to be here on this occasion in the company of such dedicated and committed scientist from the Atomic Energy fraternity,” he added.

The Prime Minister further said that India has fully demonstrated its capabilities in all the scientific and technological aspects associated with the design, development, construction, operation and maintenance of nuclear reactors and associated fuel cycle facilities.

“We owe this to the success of the indigenous three-stage programme whose foundation was laid by Dr. Homi Bhabha,” said Dr. Singh.

“The decades of nuclear isolation under which our nuclear programme evolved has fortunately ended. India is now an active participant in international civil nuclear cooperation. This has brought with it new opportunities as well as new responsibilities. I have no doubt that the opening of the doors of international cooperation will help us in our efforts to enhance our energy security,” he added. (ANI)