Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has his headphones adjusted by an aide as he attends the BRICS summit in Durban, yesterday. Leaders from the BRICS group of emerging powers failed to launch a much-anticipated new development bank to rival Western-dominated institutions like the World Bank.
Durban: The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that the first phase of the nuclear power project at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu will be up and running by next month.
“I am pleased to inform you Mr President that Kudankulam Unit will become operational, in particular, the very next month,” the prime minister told the Russian president when they met at a bilateral meeting on the margins of the 5th BRICS Summit yesterday. The first unit has the capacity of 1,000 mega watt.
The prime minister also assured the Russian president about the substantive progress being made on the other remaining phases of the joint nuclear energy programme between India and Russia at Kudankulam, near Tirunelveli in town in the southern quarters of Tamil Nadu.
“As far as Unit III and IV are concerned, we have secured our internal approvals,” the prime minister said, referring to the sanction granted by the meeting of the cabinet committee on security, which he chairs.
Prime Minister said India remained committed to supporting Africa’s rise and would continue to assist and work with the vast continent, as its 54 countries develop their institutions and build infrastructure.
“India’s relations with Africa are rooted in history of our solidarity against colonialism and apartheid,” the prime minister said at the Africa Dialogue Forum, which was an important side event at the BRICS Summit here.IANS
