The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that India on Monday set in motion steps to end decades of state control over nuclear power by introducing a bill in parliament that would allow private companies to build and operate plants as the government seeks to make atomic energy central to its clean energy push. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says foreign companies in a joint venture with Indian companies could apply for a licence if selected to do so by the government. India's nuclear sector has been tightly guarded since its first reactor went on-line in 1969, shaped by Cold War politics and fuel-technology restrictions after its 1974 nuclear test. State-run Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd. (NPCIL) owns and operates India's current fleet of nuclear power plants but Reuters reported last year that India was looking to invite domestic private companies such as Tata Power, Adani Power and Reliance Industries to invest $26-billion (U.S.) in the sector. The new bill must be approved by the lower and upper houses of parliament to become law. India is world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter. Foreign suppliers include General Electric, Westinghouse Electric (owned by Brookfield and Cameco) and France's EDF.