India to go ahead with plan to expand its n-energy: Sharma

Washington, June 24 PTI) India has assured corporate
America that it has no plans to halt its nuclear energy
projects in view of the recent damage to a nuclear power plan
in Japan after it was hit by a tsunami.
"We are very clear it is an absolute must in the
bouquet of energy resources which have to be accessed,"
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma told a gathering
of top US corporate leaders and those from the US government
at the annual summit of the US India Business Council (USIBC).
Sharma told the USIBC meeting that he was recently
asked if nuclear energy in India would be effected in view of
the recent incident in Japan, "My answer was no," Sharma said,
adding that nuclear energy in India is going to expand.
"We are very clear that we not be left behind again in
the field of technologies," Sharma said.
"We want you to be with us in achieving what we have
set out to achieve," he urged the corporate leaders of the
United States.
"That would be a notable contribution in the
partnership between our two great countries," he said.
Sharma told US businesses that India is committed in
enhancing this partnership.
"Let us try and give more substance to this
partnership and bring about changes which will be good for
both our countries," he said.
A day earlier, Sharma addressed a gathering of policy
makers, economists and scholars at the Centre for Strategic
and International Studies.
He highlighted the increasing role of emerging
economies in the perspective of the financial and economic
crisis, which is causing a rebalancing of the global economy.
Sharma also stressed the necessity to build and
strengthen bilateral business and institutional partnerships
between the two countries.
He informed the audience about India’s plans to create
National Manufacturing and Investment Zones, which would
become hubs of innovation and manufacturing.
On June 21, Sharma held a CEO Industry Roundtable in
New York where he interacted with select leaders of investment
firms and big businesses with keen interest in commercial
opportunities in India. PTI LKJ
SSB