New Delhi: The Union Cabinet Wednesday put its stamp of approval on the Indo-Australian civil nuclear cooperation agreement that came into force November, as part of a slew of decisions on topics ranging from Railways to smart cities.
The civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Australia was brought into force November 13 along with the administrative arrangement for implementing the accord. “The fuel supply arrangements with Australia will bolster energy security by supporting the expansion of nuclear power in India,” a statement said.
The deal follows similar agreements with US and France. It is a step towards India achieving international acceptability for its nuclear programme despite not ratifying the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
India, where nuclear energy accounts for just 3 per cent of the electricity generation, will be the first country to buy Australian uranium without being a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
The government Wednesday also approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the urban development ministry and Bloomberg Philanthropies with regard to smart cities.
The Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the proposal of Bloomberg Philanthropies, New York, working as knowledge partner and supporting development and execution of a Cities Challenge under the Smart Cities Mission.
Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation Initiatives equips mayors and local leaders with practical tools and approaches to solve major challenges and enable public sector innovation to flourish. As knowledge partner, Bloomberg Philanthropies will also support the ministry in helping design and manage the cities challenge.
The Cabinet also approved the formation of joint ventures with states, which will enable the Centre to mobilise resources for various rail infrastructure projects.
It also gave its ex-post facto approval for signing of a MoU among BRICS countries on BRICS Network University and its nod for renewal of a MoU between India and Canada for cooperation in education.PTI