Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India’s push to expand its nuclear energy sector and took a swipe at the Opposition for allegedly “blocking” the government’s clean-energy initiatives.
Addressing an international conference on environment and climate in New Delhi, Modi said developed nations have per-capita carbon emissions nearly six times higher than India’s, but developing countries are often unfairly held responsible for climate change.
“We all know that the responsibility for carbon emissions has often been wrongly placed on developing countries. While the historical truth is that even today, India’s contribution to per-capita carbon emissions is less than half the global average,” he said.
Taking aim at Opposition parties, Modi alleged that whenever his government seeks to advance nuclear power generation, those who speak most vocally about environmental protection oppose such initiatives, including by filing court cases.
He said India was working with the global community while setting new benchmarks for environmental protection. The country, he added, was pursuing multiple pathways towards cleaner energy and more sustainable mobility, including coal gasification, hydrogen and electric vehicles.
Referring to the launch of India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered train, Modi said the initiative marked a new phase in the country’s clean-mobility transition. The train began operations on the Jind-Sonipat section in July this year.
Modi’s remarks come as India moves to expand its nuclear energy sector by opening it up to greater private investment and intensifying research into advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs).
Last year, the government launched a nuclear energy mission, setting an ambitious target of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047 and allocating ₹20,000 crore in the Union Budget for the research, design, development and deployment of SMRs.
“Keeping in mind the future of energy, Bharat is undertaking major initiatives in nuclear energy. By 2047, we are moving forward with the resolve to increase our nuclear energy capacity more than tenfold,” Modi had earlier said.
