The Hindu Business Line : Indo-US talks on nuclear deal in ‘last leg’: PM

New Delhi, July 18 The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, today said that the negotiations between India and the US on the civilian nuclear deal were in the “last leg.”

He was speaking on the sidelines of a function to release a book titled The Indian CEO- A Portrait of Excellence.

However, he refused to set a date by when the agreement would be firmed up.

The Prime Minister was responding to a question on the status of the talks on the 123 agreement that will operationalise the civil nuclear deal.

A high-level Indian delegation led by National Security Adviser, Mr M.K. Narayanan, has commenced discussions with US leaders and officials to conclude the agreement.

Several rounds of talks have already taken place.

Differences on the issues like reprocessing rights for India and the deal’s future if New Delhi were to conduct a nuclear test are yet to be sorted out.

While releasing the book, Dr Singh stressed the need to empower public enterprises by easing the bureaucratic and political hold of Government over them.

The Prime Minister said that Government needs to become more transparent in regulating and granting full operational autonomy to State companies.

Dr Singh said that the book concludes that dealing with external environment – defined by Government in case of public sector companies and dubbed “boundary management” – was the most important challenge facing public sector executives in India.

“I agree with an important conclusion of the study that the relationship between business and the Government as regulator needs to become more transparent, more predictable, less uncertain and less time consuming. I share the view that rather than interfere and control, Government should be a stakeholder in the functioning of a public enterprise.”

He added: “Parliamentary accountability should not degenerate into either Ministerial or political interference in day-to-day management of enterprises, or bureaucratic stranglehold on managerial decision-making.”

The Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr Murli Deora, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr T.K.A. Nair and many CEOs were present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister lauded the Public Enterprise Selection Board and BPCL.

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