With indications that the NSG may meet in March group of non-resident Indians recently conducted a 'recruiting drive' to lobby in their respective countries for India's case.
NEW DELHI: With indications that the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) may meet in March to decide on opening doors of nuclear commerce to India, a group of non-resident Indians recently conducted a 'recruiting drive' to lobby in their respective countries for India's case.
A small survey was conducted during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) here last week, asking the participants if they were interested in being part of a 'soft campaign' run by the Delhi-based Imagindia Institute in the NSG member countries.
Out of the 116 overseas Indians who took part in the survey, 106 have offered to take part in the efforts to spread awareness about India's energy needs, said a statement by Imagindia.
"The Indian diasporas can play an extremely important role in their home countries to create awareness and momentum for lifting of sanctions on India, and over the past one year we have been making efforts in some targeted countries to mobilize the diasporas," said Imagindia Institute president Robinder Sachdeva.
The institute has already been running an 'NSG campaign' in some key members of the 45-country group. They have been conducting seminars and writing letters to newspapers.
"These 100-plus people will now lend further momentum to our efforts, and we thank them for stepping forward to counter the forces that are blocking India's efforts at the NSG," Sachdeva said.
Last week, a group of international NGOs led by the Arms Control Association had written a letter to the NSG chair, South Africa, to argue against giving unconditional exemption to India for nuclear commerce.
India is currently in the process of finalising the text of a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which will cover its civilian nuclear reactors and therefore allow import of nuclear technology and fuel. The next round of talks is slated to start Jan 16 in Vienna.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had recently stated that India wanted three "concerns" to be reflected in the final safeguards agreement - a fuel supply guarantee, right to set up a strategic reserve and no intervention in India's strategic nuclear programme.
But the finalisation of the text will lead to perhaps the most difficult part of the step politically, when the government will have to convince its Left partners to give the green light for signing the document.
The safeguards agreement is a crucial piece of paper for the NSG members to consider their position on the exemption proposal, as well for the US Congress to give their approval for a bilateral agreement for civil nuclear cooperation.
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