According to the Chairman of Accelerator Safety Committee of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, M R Iyer, the Safeguards Agreement between India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a unique document.


He said the fears related to it are grossly exaggerated.


"The IAEA agreement released yesterday has provisions to the extent possible for the continued supply of nuclear fuel.


"It also meets all expectations of the country," said Iyer.


Iyer said, "We should not miss this opportunity to open up our nuclear industry to the global mainstream.


"This is the first time that in any international document India is conceded a position as a nuclear-weapon state albeit indirectly.


"There is also a clause for India to take corrective measures to ensure uninterrupted operation of its civilian nuclear reactors in the event of disruption of foreign fuel supplies."


"There is no mention of the extended Safeguards Protocols, as in the case of NPT," Iyer said.


The agreement was framed on the pattern of the Infcirc-66, which India signed for reactors of the Tarapur Atomic Power Station and Rajasthan Atomic Power Station in 1965 "except for the first few pages", he said.