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Indian president favors self reliance in N-power program

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Feb 28, IRNA
India-Energy-Kalam
Indian President A P J Abdul Kalam said he favored self-reliance in the country's nuclear power program and energy independence.

Addressing the nation on the occasion of National Science Day, Kalam said: "Nuclear scientists have always shown the country how nuclear technology can be used for increasing the agricultural produce, medical application and nuclear power generation." However, "every one of the nuclear scientists and science leaders realised that the self reliance is the most promising route", he said.

In a veiled criticism of sanction imposed by developed countries following India's nuclear tests, he said the country's nuclear programme had been under technological denials for decades.

Recalling his experience as chief of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) during the sanctions regime, he said "Particularly the Light Combat Aircraft programme came to a halt because of
collaborating countries breaking the agreements on the development contracts undertaken," Kalam said.

"I took an emergency meeting of the ADA Board and we formed a national team for Low Combat Aircraft (LCA) control system with 20 members drawn from seven organisations in the country with a two- year project schedule," he said.

Kalam said "in 18 months, we realized a world class digital fly by wire control system for the LCA."
"Now four LCA aircraft are flying and the 5th one is getting ready for flight tests. The batch production of LCA Tejas is to commence," he said.

A large-scale generation of power through nuclear fuel is vital for the country's energy independence program, Kalam said.

"Going critical of fast breeder reactor which is in an advanced stage of construction, development of the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) and Accelerator Driven System (ADS) technologies have to be pursued in an intergarted way," he said.

Expressing confidence that India could attain the goal of energy independence well before 2030, he asked the country's scientists to specifically focus on research in the area of renewable energy sources.

But for this, the share of power generated through renewable energy sources would have to be increased from the existing five to 25 percent and scientists would have to concentrate on research in the areas of carbon nano tube-based solar cells, increasing bio-fuel oil content, efficient thorium-based nuclear fuel and efficient hydrogen fuel, Kalam said.

"Science leads to development of technologies. Availability of technologies leads to products," Kalam said, and encouraged scientists to make discoveries that will lead to development of new technologies and new cost-effective products thus improving the quality of life.

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