RS 200 crore to be spent for uranium exploration : Cabinet
New Delhi, Aug 8 (UNI) Aimed at achieving its target of 20,000 MW of nuclear power geenration by 2020, the Centre today cleared a Rs 200-crore proposal for prospecting and exploration of potential areas for augmentation of uranium resources.
A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, today discussed the issue of uranium augmentation and decided to earmark Rs 120 crore for the purpose during the Eleventh Plan period and Rs 80 crore during the Twelfth plan period.
''This would help in augmenting an additional 75,000 tonnes of uranium resources for the country's nuclear power programme,'' Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told mediapersons.
He said the CCEA also gave its approval for a Rs 259.69 crore project for the augmentation of Airborne and Ground Geohysical capabilities under the Research and Development Sector.
Mr Sibal said out of the total of Rs 258.69 crore, the Eleventh plan outlay would be Rs 249.05 crore and Twelfth Plan outlay Rs 9.64 crore.
''It would help in identifying potential areas in Proterozoic Basins of India for further detailed survey and exploration for locating concealed unconformity type uranium deposits for the country's nuclear power programme,'' he said.
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