Manmohan Singh



The civilian nuclear technology-sharing plan between India and the US may get final approval by the end of the year. According to the Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, the legislature is going towards the right direction and is in the process to be tabled in the Congress. He was making statement on the eve of the first anniversary of the civilian nuclear agreement.



The role of the US Congress is much important in the final approval of the agreement. The House of Representatives HOR will sit in about a week to vote on the bill and the Senate will have its role after that.



There are several steps left before the United States will send nuclear shipments to India.



Firstly the HOR will vote on the bill then Senate will go through, which will be very crucial for the agreement. After then legislators from the two houses will meet to reunite the different versions into a single bill. Then the united bill will go to the President George W. Bush for final assent.



This not the end of the story. The approval by the Nuclear Suppliers Group that is a group of nations that export nuclear material. This will be again important as well as tough barrier for the implementation of the bill. India will be required to talk a safeguards agreement with the UN nuclear watchdog agency too.



Boucher said, further, that all of these steps will take time and it is likely to complete by the end of the year only.



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