New Delhi: Indian Foreign Secretary, Shyam Saran, is off to the US with a draft of India's nuclear plan.
He is expected to give US the details of the nuclear facilities India is willing to bring under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.
The draft will be crucial in getting nuclear cooperation from the US.
There are a few plants like the one at Tarapur (near Mumbai) and two in Rajasthan, which are already under international safeguards.
However, there are 11 other nuclear power reactors and India has yet to decide how many of these will be included in the draft.
Strategic Analyst, G Balachandran says, "We are planning to put between six and eight nuclear plants on the list of international safeguards. I think both India and the US should be comfortable with the number."
However, analysts feel India should put just six power reactors on the list and prohibit international access to the remaining five.
Nuclear expert, Bharat Karnad says, "Five or six nuclear plants plus all of Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) and Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) on the international safeguards list are more than enough for a viable and autonomous nuclear weapons system."
"Any more than that and we'll have a real problem maintaining the sovereignty of our weapons project," he adds.
There are other atomic and nuclear research plants whose fate hangs on what Saran says on how India plans to use these plants.
The South Block is aware that the contours of the separation plan could spark off allegations of a sell-out on India's part back home.
At the same time the US must find the plan credible enough before it can convince the Congress to allow nuclear co-operation with India.
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