'Australia hopeful of sending uranium shipment to India soon'

Australia's High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sidhu, on Tuesday expressed hope that the country would be sending a consignment of uranium to India in the near future.

Speaking at the Australia Fest here, Sidhu said, "Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was here (in India last year) and after Prime Minister's visit, she had mentioned some samples were sent to the Indian authorities for testing to make sure that uranium was fit to be sold. I understand that conversations are going on and we are genuinely hopeful that there will be a shipment of uranium in the near future. I can assure that from the Australian government's perspective, there is a high level of support and we're very keen to see such progress."

Australia is one of the world's largest exporters of uranium ore, having 40 per cent of its reserves. Both India and Australia had signed a civil nuclear agreement in 2014 to facilitate the supply of uranium to India.

The exports of uranium in India are banned as the country is not a part of the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). However, Australia has been a supporter of India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG).

Yesterday, Sidhu unveiled the program for Australia Fest - a six-month celebration of Australian culture, involving over 75 events across 20 cities in India.

At the event, Sidhu launched the festival website and also introduced three Australia Fest Ambassadors, Australian cooking sensation Gary Mehigan, and renowned Australian author John Zubrzycki and well-known music composer and Australian alumnus Raghav Sachar.

Australia Fest will culminate on March 30, 2019.