Anil Kakodkar, member, Atomic Energy Commission, during a conference at IIT-Madras on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Johan Sathyadas J
Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) member Anil Kakodkar on Thursday called upon the country’s diplomatic community to work towards India becoming a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), even though the country was benefitting only from a waiver. He was speaking at an international conference ‘Building India’s Nuclear Ecosystem — Policy, Technology & Industry’ organised by the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M) and the Deccan Centre for International Relations (DCIR) in Chennai.
“We get a lot of uranium now from the international market, thanks to the NSG waiver. But, it is only a waiver. It is not a membership. That waiver can be turned around without much difficulty. I request all those, who are engaged in diplomacy, to make sure that we get a membership of the NSG because that is what will de-risk the availability of uranium, which is a major risk factor in building such a large programme,” Mr. Kakodkar said. He called for accelerating efforts to bring thorium into energy generation sooner.
Pointing to certain limitations in the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025 (aka SHANTI Act), Mr. Kakodkar said certain aspects were restricted and was allowed only for the government. “There are justifiable reasons for that. But, the question is how does one carry out a nuclear reactor design de novo under such a situation? I think we need to put our heads together. I don’t find enough clarity on this.” For instance, molten-salt reactor was where back-end activities took place right inside the reactor system, but SHANTI Act would not allow it, legally speaking, he pointed out.
Former Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and DCIR’s chair of its steering committee T.S. Tirumurti said nuclear energy was experiencing a renewed momentum across the world. “Issues such as private capital, advanced manufacturing in international collaborations were increasingly central to the nuclear landscape. India stands at a particularly important juncture in this global story. With ambitious targets for expanding nuclear capacity, a long-standing three-stage programme and a growing recognition of the need for faster, more cost-effective deployment, we need to actively shape the next chapter of our nuclear journey.”
Professor Manu Santhanam from the Department of Civil Engineering said IIT-M has been incubating several startups. He expected some startups would grow in the nuclear sector, given the SHANTI Act, which he said has paved the way for ideas emerging from youngsters. DCIR Senior Advisor Balasubramanian C said the global nuclear landscape was witnessing a clear revival. India stood at a pivotal moment to build a self-reliant, technology-driven nuclear ecosystem, he said.
Published – October 09, 2026 12:07 am IST
