"There is currently talk of a nuclear power renaissance, and we can't afford to miss the train, or lag behind these global processes," Manmohan Singh said in a speech marking the launch of two new reactors at a power plant in the country's west.
The premier's comments come amid a dispute among the country's leadership over a mooted nuclear deal with Washington. The premier has come under pressure from communist allies in parliament over the deal, which is set to give India access to U.S. nuclear fuel and equipment for the first time since the 1970s. The communists, who believe the deal would subject the country to U.S. hegemony, have threatened to withdraw their support for the government if the deal is pursued.
On Thursday, the Cabinet agreed not to force the deal through before an inter-party conciliatory commission finishes its work.
The deal with the U.S. had been stalled for two years, mainly over India's insistence on its right to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and the possibility of conducting nuclear weapons tests in the future. India, which has conducted atomic bomb tests in the past and is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, is currently under a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests.
Under the new deal, Washington could cut off nuclear fuel supplies in the event of a weapons test. The agreement allows India to reprocess U.S. nuclear material in UN-monitored facilities, to ensure it is used for civilian purposes.
India is suffering from acute power shortages, and is currently struggling to meet the electricity needs of its rapidly-expanding economy. Without substantial hydrocarbon reserves, the country is shifting its energy balance in favor of nuclear power.
Singh insists that the deal would undermine the country's "sovereign right" to pursue nuclear weapons. "The agreement does not block or restrict our capabilities in the nuclear sphere," he said earlier.
The premier has also come under pressure from the military over the deal, which the army fears could compromise national defense.
