New Delhi, July 5
In a significant development, the Union Cabinet today approved the country's participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of controlled nuclear fusion as a source of energy.
A meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan also decided to set up an empowered board by the Governing Council of the Institute for Plasma Research for its effective implementation, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters here.
India’s participation is estimated to cost the exchequer Rs 2500 crore and the foreign exchange component calculated at base cost would be Rs.1129 crore.
With this decision, India would formally become the seventh member of an elite group of nations like China, European Union, USA, Japan, South Korea and Russia. The country will join the other nations in the project to construct 500 megawatt near Marseille in the southern Frence. It is likely to cost about $ 6.8 billion and take 10 years to complete.
"India's joining ITER is a recognition of its scientific and technical capability in fusion energy. Considering India's large energy needs in future, our gaining technological capability in fusion energy will be of considerable long term benefit", Dasmunsi said.
He said India's participation in ITER would allow the country to "leapfrog in terms of our national technological capability in fusion energy"
The multi-billion dollar project is aimed at demonstrating the scientific and technological feasibility of controlled nuclear fusion as a future source of energy, which is inherently non-polluting.
The Cabinet also gave its approval for setting up of the Pan-African Network
in 53 countries of African Union at a cost of Rs. 542.90 crores.
The project will show-case India’s capability in IT sector, technology, health care and education. The project only pertains to setting up a demonstration model in each country, and is conceived as a developmental project.
Dasmunsi said the successful implementation is expected to enhance India’s profile in the region and add a fresh dimension to India’s partnership with Africa.
He said the Cabinet also approved setting up a Rs 285-crore Central institute for offering academic courses in petroleum technology and engineering at Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
The institute, where the basic courses would commence from 2008-09 academic session, has been named after former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi.
The institute would be established by an act of Parliament for which a bill would come up in the Monsoon
session.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram told newspersons after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs that the government has decided to sanction Rs 77.25 crore to liquidate wage and other arrears of employees of 13 public sector enterprises under the Department of Heavy Industries.
He said "it would mitigate the hardships of the employees, thereby motivating them for better output and prepare them to achieve the goal of revival for the
companies."
The move will benefit employees of Andrew Yule, Bharat Opthalmic, Bharat Wagon, Hindustan Cables, three subsidiaries of HMT, Hindustan Photo Films, National Instruments, NEPA, Instrumentation Ltd, Triveni Structurals and Tungbhadra Steel products.
Dasmunshi said the Cabinet today gave its approval for signing Additional Protocol to the Agreement on the regulation of the employment of Indian manpower between Qatar and India. The scheme would benefit the Indian workers especially the un-skilled, semi-skilled and
skilled workers.
