The scientists had voiced strong apprehensions over changes being sought to be made in the deal through legislation in the US Congress.
NEW DELHI: Seeking to allay their apprehensions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday assured nuclear scientists no changes would be allowed in the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation deal and sought their help in taking advantage of the initiative to end nuclear apartheid.
The Prime Minister's assurance came during a 90-minute meeting with top nuclear scientists at his residence.
The scientists had voiced strong apprehensions over changes being sought to be made in the deal through legislation in the US Congress.
"The scientists reiterated their concerns about the changes being sought by members of the US Congress to the July 18, 2005 joint statement issued by US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Singh," a PMO statement said.
The Prime Minister reiterated the assurances he had given to Parliament in this regard.
"Your statement was beautiful, we loved it," summed up M R Srinivasan, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, who along with Homi Sethna, P K Iyengar and others welcomed Singh's statement in Parliament on the deal.
"We had a good meeting and detailed discussions (on the issue)," Placid Rodriguez, former director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Nuclear Research, said after the meeting.
The Prime Minister invited the nuclear scientists to help outline a path to take advantage of the new opening provided by the nuclear agreement to end the nuclear apartheid against India.
He urged the scientists to show how best the opportunities on the horizon could be used while minimising risks and taking care of national interests.
Singh asked the Department of Atomic Energy and the National Security Advisor to remain in touch with the scientists and to take their advice "while negotiating the safeguards agreement and the India-specific additional protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency".
The meeting was attended by former Atomic Energy Regulatory Board chairman A Gopalkrishnan, former Nuclear Power Corporation managing director Y S R Prasad and former Bhabha Atomic Research Centre director A N Prasad.
The nuclear scientist said the concerns raised by them should have been taken care of by the government beforehand.
"Why should the government wait for us to raise the concerns?" a senior scientist asked. However, he said the Prime Minister's statement in Parliament had addressed their concerns.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister chaired a meeting of the AEC that is understood to have discussed the bilateral civil nuclear agreement with the US, shortage of uranium for nuclear power plants and security at atomic installations, as well as other issues.
The shortage of fuel could hamper India's plans to generate 20,000 MW of electricity from nuclear plants by 2020.
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