Seeking to end the impasse over the Kudankulam nuclear plant issue, the Jayalalilthaa government in Tamil Nadu on Monday gave the go ahead to the controversial project and announced a Rs 500 crore special development package for the area where it is located.
A fresh petition was filed on Friday in the Supreme Court against the environmental clearance given to the controversial Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.
For his pains, he has over 350 criminal cases filed against him that include charges of sedition and waging a war against the nation. At the moment, he has an unbailable warrant out in his name.
A Criminal court in Valliyoor, Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu has issued a non-bailable warrant against Peoples Movement Against Nuclear Energy leader S P Udaykumar, who has been leading a year-long struggle to stop the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project.
Anti-corruption activist and member of disbanded Team Anna, Arvind Kejriwal, said his team fully backed the agitation against Kudankulam Nuclear Power plant.
The much-delayed Kudankulam nuclear power project is expected to be commissioned by the end of this month, the government on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha.
India plans to produce about 20,000 mega watt of nuclear power keeping safety features in mind, former President A P J Abdul Kalam on Friday said as he certified the Kudankulam atomic plant as safe.
Russia on Saturday expressed happiness at the resumption of work at the Koodankulam nuclear project and hoped that more units will come with its participation.
The regional passport office in Madurai has issued a notice to S P Udayakumar, convenor of a movement spearheading the stir against Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, asking him to surrender his passport within 15 days. The letter from the Madurai (south) region passport office asked him to surrender his passport within that period as 98 criminal cases are pending against him. If he fails to do so within that period, the document would be impounded.
The government on Monday said there will be no compromise on nuclear safety or livelihood of any section of society in India's pursuit of atomic power, a statement that comes against the backdrop of anti-nuclear protests in Kudankulam and Jaitapur.
In New Delhi The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam during winter session of Parliament would maintain neutrality, but will oppose the United Progressive Alliance-II's stance on price rise and the Kudankulam issues.
Meera, wife of S P Udayakumar who led anti-nuclear protests in Kudankulam, talks about her hopes and fears
A German national was deported from Tamil Nadu in the wee hours on Tuesday after he was picked up by police in Nagercoil for his alleged "active involvement" in the protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant project.
Russia's Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin has said that his country's stand on American non-government agencies stalling the 1,000 megawatt Kudankulam project in Tamil Nadu has been vindicated by a statement made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during an interview with a science magazine on Thursday.
In this exclusive interview, Dr Srinivasan talks to Shobha Warrier about nuclear energy in general, the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in particular and India's energy needs.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left for China on Tuesday on the second leg of his two-nation tour after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow during which the two leaders pledged to "resolve all outstanding issues" related to the Kudankulam nuclear project.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has favoured broadening of the strategic partnership with Russia in nuclear, defence and energy sectors and invited President Vladimir Putin to visit Kudankulam atomic power project during his trip in December for his annual summit.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left Moscow for home on Saturday after concluding a three-day visit during which he attended the 12th annual Indo-Russian summit and witnessed the inking of five agreements, including one for technical assistance in joint production of 42 more frontline Sukhoi-MKI 30 jets. Dr Singh, who held talks with President Dmitry Medvedev, cleared the uncertainty over the Kudankulam nuclear power project on Friday.
Russia on Tuesday said there is no point in keeping its scientists at protest-hit Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant site in Tamil Nadu after its commissioning remained stalled for months.
Experts from Atomstroyexports, the Russian firm which supplies equipment to the nuclear power plant at Koodankulam in the district, had left the site as permission was not granted to them by police to visit the area due to ongoing protest by locals against the project.
With the first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant all set to commence power generation, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday demanded that the entire power produced from it be given to the state.
Several nuclear power projects held up for the lack of such an insurance pool can now be expected to move forward.
Anti-nuclear power activist S P Udayakumar will be the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Kanyakumari.
Anti-nuclear power activist S P Udayakumar will be the Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Kanyakumari.
The six AP-1000 reactors would be built in Andhra Pradesh.
The Russian government-owned company will be setting up eight to ten plants at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and Haripur in West Bengal over the next two decades under the Indo-Russian civil nuclear agreement, and the proposed fabrication plant will be supplying fuel to these plants, TVEL executive director for communications and public affairs Ivan Dybov said in Mumbai.
Giving a fillip to their ties, India and Russia today signed 19 pacts, including three in civil nuclear field and one for purchase of 29 MiG-29 fighters besides inking the revised agreement on Gorshkov aircraft carrier, a deal that was stuck for three years over price.
'Decisions on nuclear power have so far been taken by a small select group, primarily interested in profiteering from their actions, stating 'secrecy' as necessary from the national security point.' 'This argument is false, because we are dealing with the 'civilian' nuclear power sector, which is open even to the IAEA,' says Dr A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
Four new nuclear reactors of 1,000 MW capacity each will be set up in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu after India finalises a deal on it with Russia in June this year, a top scientist has said. The four 'VVER-type' reactors will be in addition to two 1,000 MW reactors which are already being constructed there. "India and Russia have already signed other enabling accords like agreements on sharing of information," Nuclear Power Corporation Chairman S K Jain said.
Russia also welcomed the separation plan of military and civilian nuclear programmes and India's compliance with non-proliferation norms.
Anti-nuclear activist S P Udayakumar has sent a legal notice to the Union home ministry seeking action against an official for allegedly defaming him by "leaking" a secret report recently.
The first pour of concrete for units three and four was scheduled for December 2007 but failure to sign the agreement for the additional reactors during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Moscow last month put a huge question mark over NPCIL's expectation of touching a generating capacity of 20,000 MWe by 2020. Kudamkulam is critical to its calculations.
"Russia is a traditional supplier of equipment for nuclear power plants in India," First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov was quoted as saying on Monday. "The recent talks demonstrated that India still regards Russia as a reliable partner, as all stations we have built up till now work fairly well, and there have been no claims to us," the minister said.
The first unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, which attained criticality on July 3 will reach its maximum capacity of 1000 MWe by November end, according to S Sundar, project site director.
India and Russia are expected to ink an initial agreement on the construction of four additional nuclear power plants in Tamil Nadu's Kudankulam during President Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi next week.
Russia is keen to strengthen economic ties with India.
Interlinking of rivers, retrieval of Katchatheevu island and inclusion of fishermen in the Scheduled Tribes list are also listed in the memorandum.
Russia's top nuclear energy official will visit India this week to review the progress in the construction of Kudankulam atomic power station and discuss the prospects of development of a civil nuclear cooperation.
Cooperation between India and Russia is expected to receive a major fillip in various fields, including energy and space during the two-day visit of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov who arrived in New Delhi Thursday.