Nuclear deal hope

India and the United States have moved significantly closer to implementing a landmark nuclear deal with the approval of an inspection plan by the UN nuclear watchdog.

To implement the deal, India must strike separate agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and with the Nuclear Suppliers Group of countries that export nuclear material. It would then go to the US Congress for approval.

The deal would allow India to enter the world market in nuclear fuel and technology – as long as it is for civilian purposes. It had previously been banned from doing so under the terms of a 30-year embargo imposed because of its testing of atomic bombs and refusal to join the global Non-Proliferation Treaty.