india-us

The system for transport of Canadian Uranium to India finalized b/w Indian and Canada

India and Canada developed a mechanism for transport of the Canadian Uranium to India. Thus, India succeeded in clearing the mistrust generated on the Canadian side after the nuclear explosion from India in 1974.

Both the sides were successful inking the agreement on the mechanism of shipment of the Canadian Uranium to India for the first time after 1974. The nuclear cooperation agreement was inked b/w the two nations two years ago but their remained hurdles of mistrust on the Canadian side of how would India use the uranium provided by Canada in its nuclear power plants. After crossing over the hurdles it’s now believed that the shipment of Uranium to India would benefit India as it would bring millions of dollars in the new business and would create quality jobs in India.

What happened in 1974?

The Story of 1974:

On 18 May 1974 at 8:05 a.m. (IST), India conducted its first nuclear test explosion at the long-constructed Indian Army base, Pokhran Test Range at Pokhran municipality, Rajasthan state.

Pokhran-I (Codename Smiling Buddha) nuclear test.

This was the first confirmed nuclear test by a nation outside the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The plutonium used in the test was created at the research reactor CIRUS supplied by Canada in 1960 and using heavy water supplied by the USA.

CIRUS = Canada India Research Utility Services

Thus, Smiling Buddha Test agitated Canada and in turn Canada cut off exchange of nuclear materials and technology with India. Thus, Canada developed mistrust against India and concluded that the test violated a 1971 understanding b/w the two states, and froze nuclear energy assistance for the two heavy water reactors then under construction. However, the USA concluded that the test did not violate any agreement and proceeded with a June 1974 shipment of enriched uranium for the Tarapur reactor.

CIRUS (Canada India Research Utility Services)

• A research reactor at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) in Trombay near Mumbai, India.
• Supplied by Canada in 1954
• Used heavy water (deuterium) supplied by the USA.
• Second oldest reactor in India.
• Modeled on the Canadian Chalk River National Research X-perimental (NRX) reactor.
• 40 MW reactor burns natural uranium fuel, while using heavy water as a moderator.
• NOT under IAEA safeguards (which did not exist when the reactor was sold).
• In accordance with the Indo-US nuclear accord reached b/w India and US, the reactor was shut down on December 31, 2010.

INDIA-US NUCLEAR DEAL WAS SIGNED ON OCT 11,2008


WATTIEZA IS THE WORLD'S OLDEST KNOWN TREE FOSSIL THAT LIVED SOME 380 MILLION YEARS AGO FOUND BY AMERICAN FOSSIL HUNTER IN A SANDSTONE QUARRY IN NEW YORK






India-US unveil Millennium Alliance
India and Unites States launched the Millennium Alliance (MA).
MA – a platform to bring together Indian creativity, expertise and resources to source and intensify innovations
being developed and tested in the country.
The partnership for global development is focused at improving lives of vulnerable populations in India and around the
world by supporting innovations that have capability to be replicated to maximize their benefit. The focus of alliance is
on areas such as basic education, health, food security, clean energy, water and sanitation. The alliance promotes
entrepreneurs, innovators, NGOs and local partners to put forward proposals for innovative development solutions.
US Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $7.7 million to the MA. Earlier, the Government of
India’s Technology Development Board promised $5 million to the MA.
MA will facilitate social innovators with indispensable resources such as business incubation services, seed funding,
networking opportunities, and technical assistance. It will also assist them to access equity, debt, and other capital.












US helping India to establish community colleges
As per the US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland, United States is working with India to flesh out an
initiative to set up hundreds of community colleges in India on the American pattern and the State Department has
been working with the Indian side to flesh out the initiative. Over the acceptance of Indian degrees in United States,
she held that it on a case-by-case issue depending upon where they graduate from and where they’re looking to get
accredited from. She also held that US has also not altered its policy for the issue of student visas after the closure of a
couple of sham universities which affected hundreds Indian students, but rather the US institutions get greater
scrutiny.








Indian Ambassador asks US students to stay alert on effects
of protectionism
Addressing the students at University of Florida, India’s Ambassador to the United States Nirupama Rao
has asked American students to be alert to the crushing effects of protectionism as it is retrogressive and
blocks economic growth and development in the age of globalization.
She held that the borders b/w nations are becoming increasingly porous, and in time, they will be
progressively immaterial, as people are allowed to move freely to transact trade and commerce, and to travel without
obstruction and ‘Protectionism’ in such a situation becomes a obstruction to economic growth and development
because it seeks to check the flow of people, of goods and services, of ideas and technologies, building walls and is
thus retrogressive.
She asked students to use their education to make the world a better place and desired they would become the
builders of an even improved and high yielding partnership b/w the two democracies, India and the US.







India, US start ‘Open Government Platform’
India and the United States inaugurated the Open Government Platform (OGPL)

Objective of OGPL:
 It is a bilateral effort focused at foment transparency and increase citizen engagement by making government
data, documents, tools and processes publicly available.
 It was launched at US-India joint commission meeting on science and technology Cooperation
 OGPL is built on open source code and will be freely available to any government around the world.
 India and US have expanded collaboration b/w the National Science Foundation (US) and Department of Science
and Technology (India)







India a big defence market in the future: US

US has asked the American companies participating in the“DefExpo India 2012” to understand
the procedures of Business in India as it observed that the Indian defence sector is going to be a
big market in the long term. More than 20 US companies inclu ing some of the big names like
Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman are participating in the DefExpo India 2012 at
the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
Defexpo India 2012, the seventh in the series of biennial Land, Naval and Internal Security Systems Exhibition and is
being held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from March 29 to April 1, 2012.
US maintained that the Indian acquisition and procurement procedure is very different from what the American
companies are used to so it has suggested its companies to be patient and understand the local culture and systems.






Nancy Powell confirmed as US envoy to India
Career Diplomat Nancy Powell confirmed by the US Senate asAmbassador to India, a position that had
remained empty for the past year since
President Obama’s first ambassador to India, former congressman Timothy Roemer, had announced his
resignation in April 2011. In December 2011, US President Barack Obama had nominated Ms Nancy
Powell as his next Ambassador to India but since then her name was waiting for an approval from the
Senate. Preciously, Ms Powell had served as US envoy in Pakistan and Nepal and holds the prestigious rank of Career
Ambassador.










Peter Burleigh: Interim USA Ambassador in India
Peter Burleigh took the charge of the USA Mission in India as an Interim US Ambassador
Assumed duties as the Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Mission in India till a permanent Ambassador is
appointed
To succeed Mr. Timothy J Roemer, who completed his term
Mr. Peter Burleigh is fluent in Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, and Sinhalese




India signs agreement to set up Vivekananda Chair at
Chicago University
 India has signed at agreement with the University of Chicago to set up a Vivekananad Chair at the University.
 The agreement has been signed between India’s Ministry of Culture and the University.
 This agreement entails the consideration of a 1.5 million dollar grant for creation of an endowment.
 As per the agreement, the University of Chicago will establish to honour the life and legacy of Swami
Vivekananda by promoting fields of study most relevant to his teachings




US to cut down army by 1 lakh
 The US Pentagon has declared curtailment of its military forces by 100,000 in view of a $487 billion cut in its
budget over the next 10 years. However it asserted that even after the retrenchment, US will remain a force to
contend with anytime and anywhere.
 US military will be smaller and leaner, but it will be agile, flexible, rapidly deployable and technologically
advanced. Army will be gradually resized to 490,000 from the present force level of 562,000. Marine Corps will be
182,000 from 202,000. The transition to take place over the next 5 years.







Sri Lankan novelist wins $ 50,000 prize at Jaipur Literature Festival
 Young Sri Lankan novelist Shehan Karunatilaka wins the DSC South Asian Prize for Literature for his debut novel
“Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew”.