Former diplomat Ronen Sen’s suggestion that we develop our own nuclear infrastructure for generating energy is a bold one (“Implications of the N-Liability Act,” September 22). Those who are averse to the idea of private participation in developing nuclear energy should know that such involvement would not have any negative impact on national security. In fact, at this juncture India is poised to develop its own civil-military industrial complex to reduce our dependence on other nations and develop the ability to meet India’s civil-military needs. The question that persists is whether India can overcome its moral inhibitions about developing its own civil military industrial complex. A nation that produces a wide variety of knowledge workers for the rest of the world can definitely aim at developing and commissioning weapons technology for our present and future requirements. Also, given the fast-changing nuclear regime, our growing entrepreneurial class should develop commercial stakes in those countries that produce uranium to reduce our permanent dependence on them.
Amit Pradhan, on email
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