Govt open to amend Atomic Energy Act

The possible amendments could involve inclusion of some provisions that would make it difficult for any country to adversely affect the nuclear programme through their own internal laws.     

The amendments in the 1962 Act are being considered in the backdrop of apprehensions expressed by various sections here that the US could invoke the Hyde Act to gag India's independent policy in the nuclear field.     

Though the government has repeatedly asserted that the Hyde Act will have no say with regard to India's civil nuclear cooperation with the US, the apprehensions continue to be aired, including by scientists.     

The government has said that Hyde Act is an internal law of the US and India will never accept the "prescriptive provisions" in that.    

In his reply to the debate on confidence motion, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh again stressed that "The strategic programme will continue to be developed at an autonomous pace determined solely by our own security perceptions."     

Singh said there was nothing in the agreements in connection with the Indo-US nuclear deal that prevented India from further tests if warranted by the country's national security concerns.     

"We have not and we will not accept any outside interference or monitoring or supervision of our strategic programme," he added.