India inks safeguards agreement with IAEA

Completing one of the main formalities for entering into civilian nuclear trade with other countries, India signed the safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The agreement with India is one that is offered to non-nuclear proliferation treaty states, and is item specific. But it has features that are unique to the Indian case as it allows India to retain the military reactors while entering into civilian nuclear trade with other countries. The agreement with IAEA had been reached last year itself, but has been pending a formal stamp of approval. The agreement was signed by Indian envoy Saurabh Kumar and IAEA director-general Mohammed El Baradei at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on Monday evening. Now, India needs to ratify the agreement. That will be followed by the Atomic Energy Commission filing a declaration with IAEA on the reactors that India will place under IAEA safeguards. As per the negotiated agreement, India can decide when it wants to place the reactors on the safeguards list. Meanwhile, Nuclear Power Corporation chairman SK Jain said the entity would sign a memorandum of understanding with France’s Areva for importing EPR-type light water reactors. “We will be signing a MoU for the import of European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) on February 4 as per the inter-governmental agreement with France,” he said.