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Q45 (IAS/2020) International Relations & Global Affairs › Global Indices, Reports & Agreements › Nuclear arms control regime Official Key

In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under "IAEA Safeguards" while others are not ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 2. In India, the distinction between nuclear reactors under IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Safeguards and those outside them is based on the source of fuel used.

  • Imported Uranium: Reactors that rely on imported fuel are mandatory signatories to the Separation Plan agreed upon after the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal. To ensure imported nuclear material is used strictly for peaceful civilian purposes and not diverted for military use, these reactors are placed under IAEA monitoring.
  • Domestic Uranium: Reactors using indigenous uranium reserves are kept outside the safeguards to maintain India’s strategic autonomy and support its nuclear weapons program.

Why other options are incorrect: Option 1 is wrong as thorium-based reactors are still experimental. Options 3 and 4 are incorrect because all nuclear power plants in India are currently state-owned and operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL); foreign private ownership is not permitted under current laws.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under "IAEA Safeguards" while others are not ? [A] Some use uranium and others use thorium …
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 5/10
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This is not a Science question; it is a History/IR question disguised as Science. It tests the core 'Quid Pro Quo' of the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal (2008) covered in Spectrum and NCERT Pol Sci. The 'Separation Plan' explicitly traded access to imported fuel for IAEA safeguards.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Does the type of nuclear fuel (uranium versus thorium) determine whether an Indian nuclear reactor is placed under IAEA safeguards?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"requiring India to put most of the country's nuclear power reactors under IAEA safeguards ... This would be used for fuel arising from those 14 reactors designated as unambiguously civilian and under full IAEA safeguards."
Why this source?
  • Directly states India agreed to put most of its power reactors under IAEA safeguards as part of a deal and designates 14 reactors as civilian and under full safeguards.
  • Implies placement is determined by the political/agreement designation and fuel origin, not simply by fuel type.
Web source
Presence: 3/5
"The timeliness and significant quantity values vary according to the type of nuclear material and other considerations."
Why this source?
  • Explains that IAEA inspection frequency and significant-quantity/timeliness goals vary by type of nuclear material.
  • Indicates that material type affects safeguards measures and verification intensity, but not the fundamental decision of whether a reactor is placed under safeguards.
Web source
Presence: 3/5
"there are greater technical challenges for verifying materials, due to more complex fuel forms and"
Why this source?
  • Notes that establishing safeguards for certain reactor types has been more resource-intensive because of more complex fuel forms.
  • Suggests fuel form affects verification challenges and implementation effort, rather than the basic determination of placement under safeguards.

Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: International Organisations > IAEA > p. 58
Strength: 5/5
“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established in 1957. It came into being to implement US President Dwight Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" proposal. It seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to prevent its use for military purposes. IAEA teams regularly inspect nuclear facilities all over the world to ensure that civilian reactors are not being used for military purposes. peacekeeping efforts is a long and substantial one. The country's economic emergence on the world stage is another factor that perhaps justifies India's claim to a permanent seat in the Security Council. India has also made regular financial contributions to the UN and never faltered on its payments.”
Why relevant

States that the IAEA inspects nuclear facilities 'to ensure that civilian reactors are not being used for military purposes' — i.e., inspections are linked to civilian vs military status.

How to extend

A student could use this civilian/military distinction to check whether safeguarded reactors are categorized by purpose rather than by fuel type.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > Foreign Relations > p. 761
Strength: 5/5
“The Manmohan Singh government made efforts for stronger ties with the United States. The prime minister visited the US in July 2005 to initiate negotiations over the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement. When, in 2006, President George W. Bush visited India, the declaration over the nuclear agreement was made. This gave India access to American nuclear fuel and technology, though in return India would have to allow its civil nuclear reactors to be inspected by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). It was only in October 2008 that India and the US finally signed the agreement after further negotiations and approval from the IAEA, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and the US Congress.”
Why relevant

Indo‑US civil nuclear agreement required India 'to allow its civil nuclear reactors to be inspected by the IAEA' in return for fuel/technology, again linking safeguards to 'civil' reactors.

How to extend

One could map which Indian reactors were declared civil under the deal and see if those (regardless of uranium/thorium) entered safeguards.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 8: Energy Resources > Nuclear Energy > p. 26
Strength: 4/5
“Looking at the exhaustible nature of the fossil fuels, nuclear energy development has become very vital for the economic development of the country. In India, it has a vast potential for future energy development. It is produced from uranium and thorium. At present there are 17 nuclear plants across the country. The atomic power stations are given in (Table 8.12).”
Why relevant

States India produces nuclear energy 'from uranium and thorium' and lists existing plants, showing that both fuels are in domestic use.

How to extend

A student can list reactors using uranium vs thorium and then check whether IAEA inspection status correlates with fuel type or with civil/military designation.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 9: Distribution of World Natural Resources > thorium > p. 40
Strength: 3/5
“Torium is a by-product of the extraction of rare earths from monazite sands. Torium was used for the breeding of nuclear fuel uranium. It is used as a nuclear fuel in aircraft engines. Torium is a very efective radiation shield. India's Kakrapara-1 reactor is the world's frst reactor which uses thorium. Australia, USA, and India have large deposits of thorium, followed by Canada, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey.”
Why relevant

Notes thorium is used as nuclear fuel and gives an example (Kakrapar‑1) of a reactor using thorium, providing a concrete fuel‑type example.

How to extend

Use the Kakrapar‑1 example to look up whether that reactor is under safeguards (using external sources) to test whether thorium use predicts safeguards status.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 6: Environmental Degradation and Management > iii) nuclear Energy > p. 52
Strength: 3/5
“(iii) nuclear Energy Looking at the increasing demand of energy and the exhaustible nature of fossil fuels, nuclear energy development has become of great signifcance in most of the big and small countries of the world. It is also a source of green energy. Nuclear energy is produced from uranium and thorium. Although, India is largely dependent on other countries for the supply of uranium, it has 27 nuclear power plants generating about 4 per cent of the energy supply of the country.”
Why relevant

Mentions India has multiple nuclear power plants and that nuclear energy in India comes from uranium and thorium, reinforcing that fuel types coexist across the civil programme.

How to extend

Compare the roster of Indian plants (fuel used) with which were opened to IAEA inspection to see if fuel correlates with safeguards placement.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

CDS-I · 2008 · Q60 Relevance score: 3.89

Consider the following statements 1. India has 10 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). 2. The spent fuel from the PHWRs is reprocessed into plutonium. 3. All imported reactors are under the safeguards of the international Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

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Consider the following statements 1. India has 10 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). 2. The spent fuel from the PHWRs is reprocessed into plutonium. 3. All imported reactors are under the safeguards of the international Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Which of the statements given above is/ are correct ?

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CDS-I · 2006 · Q14 Relevance score: 0.24

Consider the following statements 1. India is a permanent member of the Board of Governors of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 2. In September 2005, on the issue of Iran’s nuclear programme, India voted against the resolut ion of IA EA’s Board of Governors. Which of the statements given above is/ are correct ?