<p>New Delhi: With the Rajya Sabha clearing the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, the Parliament on Thursday put its stamp of approval on a legislation that will open up the civilian nuclear power to private sector after almost eight decades.</p><p>Responding to the debate in the Upper House, Union Science Minister Jitendra Singh, who also looks after the Department of Atomic Energy, said the government set targets of achieving 22 GW of nuclear energy by 2032; 47 GW by 2037, 67 GW by 2042 and 100 GW by 2047, contributing nearly 10 per cent of India’s total energy needs.</p>.Why private members’ bills still matter in Parliament.<p>The bill, passed by the Lok Sabha a day before, will require ascent from the President before it turns into a new law replacing two existing ones -- the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability to Nuclear Damage Act 2010 -- that currently govern the nuclear-sector.</p><p>On the contentious dropping of a clause on suppliers’ liability from the 2010 Act, he said when BJP was in favour of such a provision in the law, the safety concerns were different, but the scenario changed due to rapid technology transformations.</p><p>“Safety concerns were different in 2010. We had not heard of artificial intelligence. Small modular reactors were never thought of. But we now want to have SMRs and Bharat Small Modular Reactors in residential colonies,” he said, adding that the private sector would also play a key role in nuclear energy’s expansion.</p><p>Singh asserted that mining of uranium, and handling of spent fuel and heavy water would strictly be under government control.</p><p>The minister said the safety provisions and their standard operating procedures would be the same as set as per the Atomic Energy Act of 1962, which was enacted when Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister. "The SOP clearly mentions safety first, second production.”</p><p>Singh said there were certain misconceptions about the capping of liability for operators in case of a nuclear accident at Rs 3,000 crore.</p><p>“The cap mentioned in the bill is only for the operator. Even if the damage is worth Rs 20,000 crore, the government will give the compensation from the Nuclear Liability Fund and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation.”</p><p>Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the government of making a U-turn on its position on supplier’s liability as spelt out by late BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Jaswant Singh in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha respectively in 2010.</p><p>Ramesh asked the government not to promote the private sector and push for home-grown nuclear plants instead of opting for imported ones. “A few private companies will take advantage of this bill. Tell them to take the NPCIL and DAE technologies,” he said.</p>
<p>New Delhi: With the Rajya Sabha clearing the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, the Parliament on Thursday put its stamp of approval on a legislation that will open up the civilian nuclear power to private sector after almost eight decades.</p><p>Responding to the debate in the Upper House, Union Science Minister Jitendra Singh, who also looks after the Department of Atomic Energy, said the government set targets of achieving 22 GW of nuclear energy by 2032; 47 GW by 2037, 67 GW by 2042 and 100 GW by 2047, contributing nearly 10 per cent of India’s total energy needs.</p>.Why private members’ bills still matter in Parliament.<p>The bill, passed by the Lok Sabha a day before, will require ascent from the President before it turns into a new law replacing two existing ones -- the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability to Nuclear Damage Act 2010 -- that currently govern the nuclear-sector.</p><p>On the contentious dropping of a clause on suppliers’ liability from the 2010 Act, he said when BJP was in favour of such a provision in the law, the safety concerns were different, but the scenario changed due to rapid technology transformations.</p><p>“Safety concerns were different in 2010. We had not heard of artificial intelligence. Small modular reactors were never thought of. But we now want to have SMRs and Bharat Small Modular Reactors in residential colonies,” he said, adding that the private sector would also play a key role in nuclear energy’s expansion.</p><p>Singh asserted that mining of uranium, and handling of spent fuel and heavy water would strictly be under government control.</p><p>The minister said the safety provisions and their standard operating procedures would be the same as set as per the Atomic Energy Act of 1962, which was enacted when Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister. "The SOP clearly mentions safety first, second production.”</p><p>Singh said there were certain misconceptions about the capping of liability for operators in case of a nuclear accident at Rs 3,000 crore.</p><p>“The cap mentioned in the bill is only for the operator. Even if the damage is worth Rs 20,000 crore, the government will give the compensation from the Nuclear Liability Fund and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation.”</p><p>Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the government of making a U-turn on its position on supplier’s liability as spelt out by late BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Jaswant Singh in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha respectively in 2010.</p><p>Ramesh asked the government not to promote the private sector and push for home-grown nuclear plants instead of opting for imported ones. “A few private companies will take advantage of this bill. Tell them to take the NPCIL and DAE technologies,” he said.</p>
