Not in 'public interest' to disclose quantity of uranium extracted in country: Govt
New Delhi, Mar 18: There are a total of eight uranium mines in the country, but it is not in the "public interest" to disclose the quantity of uranium extracted from these mines, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said there are eight uranium mines in the country -- seven in Jharkhand and one in Andhra Pradesh.
"It is not in the public interest to disclose the quantity of uranium extracted from these mines," he said.
Uranium is processed through Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL), a public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, said the grade of the ore mined from various deposits is very poor in India compared to that of other countries.
The ore bodies are narrow and not suitable for extraction by mass mining methods, he said.
These deposits are also not suitable for extraction by low cost in-situ leaching technology which is a common method of extraction of uranium concentrate in many of the major uranium producing countries.
On the cost of processing of the ore, he said, "India also adopts alkali leaching technology for extraction of uranium from very low grade ore occurring in dolostone host rock in Tummalapalle region in Andhra Pradesh, which cannot be extracted by acid leaching technology."
"This is a costlier process developed indigenously and has been adopted successfully. In view of these constraints, the extraction and processing cost of uranium in India is higher compared to that of other countries," Singh said.
In response to another question, he said India has entered into an agreement with Russia for supply of fuel for Russian Reactors at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) throughout the operation period of power units.
Uranium purchase agreement has also been entered with Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan.
He added that Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) for cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy have been signed with 17 countries like Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Czech Republic, the European Union, France, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Namibia, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, the UK, the US and Vietnam.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
