Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) would form a committee to study the techno-economic feasibility of setting up a nuclear power plant in the North-East. The DAE would also prepare a White Paper on proposed uranium mining in Meghalaya, he said. The white paper will be handed over by the DAE to Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy on May 31. The Chief Minister will table it in the Assembly and after a threadbare discussion the white paper will be made public. Mr. Ramesh told journalists that decisions to this effect were taken at a meeting between him, Mr. Roy, Deputy Chief Minister Hopping Stone Lyngdoh and Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar, who joined the meeting over phone, as to how to start uranium mining in Meghalaya. Though the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) wanted to start commercial mining in Domiasiat in West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya in 1992 they could not start mining activities due to public outcry. Mr. Ramesh was on a two-day visit to Assam and Meghalaya for reviewing the power projects in the North-East and to discuss with the Meghalaya government the issue of uranium mining. The Minister said that during the meeting Mr. Roy suggested that a nuclear power plant be set up either in Meghalaya or in any other north-eastern State for value addition to uranium proposed to be mined in his State. Assam Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said nuclear power plant was welcome in Assam too, Mr. Ramesh said. Public outreach programme The DAE will bring a team of doctors and scientists from the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, for a public outreach programme to address the fear prevailing in the minds of the people of Meghalaya that uranium mining would lead to incidence of cancer. The DAE will also take legislators and civil society leaders of Meghalaya to Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh where a similar project of uranium mining was started recently. The DAE has launched Rs.1,500-crore mining project in the district, the Minister said. Uranium mining in Meghalaya is essential for the future nuclear programme of the country. Mr. Ramesh pointed out that apart from Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya is the third significant State with proven uranium reserves. Stating that the country's nuclear reactors were running at 50 per cent capacity due to shortage in uranium, the Minister said the India-U.S. nuclear deal was being taken forward because of nuclear fuel shortage. He, however, said the Centre would not do anything which would go against the people of Meghalaya.