World · South & Central Asia · 2 hrs ago
Kakodkar urges diplomats to secure India’s membership of nuclear suppliers group
Anil Kakodkar urged Indian diplomats to seek full membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, speaking at a nuclear energy conference in Chennai.
India can buy uranium from international markets under an existing waiver, but Kakodkar said the waiver is less secure than membership and could be reversed.
He said that making uranium supplies more reliable matters because limited access to the fuel could hinder India’s plans to expand nuclear power.
Kakodkar also called for faster efforts to use thorium in energy generation.
He said the 2025 SHANTI Act leaves some nuclear activities restricted to the government, raising questions about how new reactor designs can be developed; he cited molten-salt reactors as an example.
Conference speakers described renewed global interest in nuclear energy, and an IIT Madras professor said the law could help young people’s ideas and startups enter the sector.
Anil Kakodkar urged India’s diplomatic community to work towards securing membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
He said India’s current NSG waiver enables uranium imports but could be reversed, putting uranium availability at risk.
Kakodkar made the call at an international conference hosted by IIT Madras and the Deccan Centre for International Relations in Chennai.
He also called for faster efforts to bring thorium into energy generation and raised concerns about restrictions in the SHANTI Act, 2025.
- Who
- Anil Kakodkar, a member of India’s Atomic Energy Commission, made the appeal.
- What
- He urged diplomats to work towards India becoming a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
- When
- Thursday, October 8, 2026.
- Where
- At an international conference in Chennai organised by IIT Madras and the Deccan Centre for International Relations.
- Why
- Kakodkar said membership would reduce the risk to uranium availability; India currently relies on an NSG waiver that could be reversed.
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- Speaker
- Anil Kakodkar, Atomic Energy Commission member
- Proposed membership
- Nuclear Suppliers Group
- Current arrangement
- NSG waiver for uranium imports
- Conference date
- October 8, 2026
- Conference location
- Chennai
- Legislation discussed
- Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025 (SHANTI Act)
What people are saying
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
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.
I don’t find enough clarity on this.
India stands at a particularly important juncture in this global story.