Indira Gandhi insisted this as a 'peaceful nuclear explosive'. But the nuclear powers never accepted this characterization. We have been moving fast in developing the know-how further. We have a programme to realize 'our goal', to harness our vast resources of Thorium for long term energy independence. With this we can be sure of generating nuclear energy without any 'major' external assistance. Further we are trying to develop the 'know-how' based on Plutonium which is the by product of Uranium which is used in the present reactors. Incidentally the 123 Agreement does not allow this to be taken up independently. In July 18,2005 the PM of India and President of US pledged to work to make the necessary changes in US law and in the international fora to allow full civilian nuclear energy cooperation with India. In a US document it states that "It will help India meet its exponentially growing energy demands without increasing its reliance on unstable foreign sources of oil and gas, such as nearby Iran". Another statement "The major aim of this endeavour is an attempt to plug loopholes such as those that had allowed India to produce its peaceful nuclear explosive ". The term 'peaceful nuclear explosive' was used by Indira Gandhi in 1974 after the first Indian Nuclear Test.
