WASHINGTON (BBC) - The U.S. Congress has voted in favor of allowing the export of civilian nuclear fuel and technology to India for the first time in 30 years.

The legislation will now be sent to President George W. Bush to be signed into law.

The vote follows an agreement earlier this year between Bush and the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

The accord has been hailed as historic by some, but critics say it will damage non-proliferation efforts.

It was approved by the House of Representatives on Friday evening and the Senate early on Saturday.

Weapons sites off-limits

Under the deal, energy-hungry India will get access to U.S. civil nuclear technology and fuel, in return for opening its civilian nuclear facilities to inspection.

But its nuclear weapons sites will remain off-limits.

The Congress decision was welcomed in Delhi as an historic moment in relations between the two countries.

Once on opposite sides of the Cold War fence, they have become allies with close economic, political and even defense ties.

Correspondents say that India sees the deal as a tacit acceptance of its emergence as a global nuclear power.

Compromise bill

Previously, the U.S. had opposed Indian nuclear activities because it has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and has twice tested nuclear weapons, in 1974 and 1998.

The final bill was said to have been altered to take into account some Indian concerns about the deal, says the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Washington. Earlier, senior U.S. state department official Nicholas Burns - who is visiting India - said he anticipated "a very successful and supportive bill", well within the parameters of the agreement signed between India and the U.S.

India has made clear that the final agreement must not bind it to supporting the U.S. policy on Iran, and does not prevent it from developing its own fissile material.