SHANTI Bill: Congress tears into Modi govt over nuclear liability clause

The Opposition demanded that the Bill be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

New Delhi: Opposition on Wednesday objected to the SHANTI Bill in Lok Sabha with senior Congress MP Manish Tewari tearing into the draft law saying that the ruling BJP is undermining India’s energy independence and clean energy goals by breaking a 2010 consensus on nuclear liability regime as well as by not providing clarity on the role of the atomic energy regulator.

Speaking at the discussion on ‘The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill 2025’ in Lok Sabha, Tewari demanded that the “important” Bill be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee, as in the present form it undermines “India’s energy independence and clean energy goals”.

In his 23-minute intervention as the first speaker from the Opposition, the Chandigarh MP accused the BJP of attempting to derail the UPA government’s attempt to end India’s nuclear apartheid by filing a no-confidence motion against Manmohan Singh dispensation. “Manmohan Singh was trying to break the n-apartheid…You (BJP) tried to derail the n-programme,” he alleged.

He referred to the provision for private participation in the nuclear power project and said that what was striking was that the Bill comes a month after a private conglomerate announced its plans to enter the sector. “Is it a coincidence?” Tewari said to which Minister of State Jitendra Singh intervened to deny the “unfounded and politically motivated” claim.

He said there was a consensus in 2010 to make the supplier liable for nuclear accidents by making provisions for the operator’s right to recourse. It was felt that with foreign suppliers coming into the sector this provision was important and it was supported by the BJP, he said, adding this part is missing in the new Bill and it should be part of it.

“If a nuclear accident takes place, since we are dependent on foreign suppliers…shouldn’t the supplier be liable?” he asked. Tewari also said there are a lot of concerns about the autonomy of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and its independence is paramount in the event of foreign players entering the country’s nuclear sector.

Critical of the caps on liability fixed in the Bill, which has put it at $410 million, he said the compensation for Bhopal gas tragedy was $470 million 15 years ago. He demanded that the liability cap be fixed at Rs 10,000 crore.t

Tewari also found fault with the Bill exempting government-run nuclear installations from insurance cover. If the answer is that such installations are under the government and it would take care of the compensation, it should be explicitly mentioned in the Bill, he said.

He also said the Bill does not provide a robust mechanism for nuclear waste disposal and that it could not be left to delegated legislation.

Samajwadi Party's Aditya Yadav said his party opposes the Bill, claiming that the ruling BJP was rolling out a "red carpet" for foreign companies. "BJP is taking U-turn on what it has said about the issue in this House," he claimed while asking whether the Bill has something to do with wooing the US on the trade deal.

Opposing the Bill, Trinamool Congress’ Saugata Roy demanded that the liability cap should be increased.

Congress’ Shashi Tharoor said it is “not nuclear Bill but unclear Bill” and this “dangerous” Bill should go to a Standing Committee or a JPC. DMK’s Arun Nehru said the liability cap of Rs 3,000 crore is very “miniscule”.

NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule said, “how can you put a cap on liability? How did you arrive at this magic number?