{"id":78770,"date":"2025-12-20T11:01:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T05:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=78770"},"modified":"2025-12-20T11:24:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T05:54:38","slug":"shanti-bill-2025-explained-private-entry-nuclear-liability-reform-and-transparency-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/shanti-bill-2025-explained-private-entry-nuclear-liability-reform-and-transparency-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"SHANTI Bill 2025 Explained: Private Entry, Nuclear Liability Reform and Transparency Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>SHANTI Bill Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (<\/span><b>SHANTI<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) Bill, 2025, passed by Parliament, marks a fundamental shift in India\u2019s nuclear power regime by allowing private players to participate in nuclear power plant operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once notified, the law will replace the <\/span><b>Atomic Energy Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 1962 and the <\/span><b>Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 2010, redefining rules on who can build and operate nuclear plants, how accident liability is capped, the role of the safety regulator, and mechanisms for dispute resolution and compensation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centre argues that the reform is essential to attract investment and achieve India\u2019s target of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Private Sector Entry into India\u2019s Nuclear Power Sector under SHANTI Bill, 2025<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SHANTI Bill allows both public and private companies to set up nuclear power plants.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can engage in activities such as the transport, storage, import and export of nuclear fuel, technology, equipment and minerals\u2014areas earlier reserved exclusively for public sector entities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Strict Safety and Regulatory Oversight<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite opening the sector, the law retains a stringent safety regime.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All entities must obtain mandatory safety authorisation from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Authorisation is required for the manufacture, possession, use, transport, import, export and disposal of radioactive substances, radiation-generating equipment, and for establishing, operating or decommissioning radiation facilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Foreign Investment: Conditional and Indirect<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bill does not explicitly permit foreign direct investment in nuclear power.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section 3(e)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows participation by \u201cany other person\u201d expressly permitted by the Central Government through notification.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Detailed clarity is expected through subsequent rules, with government sources indicating alignment with DPIIT foreign equity guidelines applicable across sectors.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Activities Reserved for the Central Government<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Certain critical and sensitive functions remain under exclusive central control, including:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enrichment and isotopic separation of radioactive substances<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reprocessing and management of spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Production and upgradation of heavy water<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Question of Accountability under the SHANTI Bill, 2025<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Opposition has raised concerns\u2014particularly over the dilution of provisions fixing liability on equipment suppliers in the event of a nuclear accident.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Removal of Supplier Liability (\u2018Right of Recourse\u2019)<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A major and contentious change in the SHANTI Bill is the dilution of the operator\u2019s \u201cright of recourse\u201d against equipment suppliers in the event of a nuclear accident.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under Section 17 of the <\/span><b>Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (CLNDA), 2010, operators could seek compensation from suppliers if an accident resulted from defective equipment, sub-standard services, or supplier negligence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new law retains:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contractual recourse if explicitly provided in writing; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personal criminal liability for acts done with intent to cause nuclear damage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it omits the provision covering supplier fault due to patent or latent defects, shielding equipment vendors from long-term and uncertain liability exposure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Shift to Graded Liability Caps<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SHANTI Bill departs from the earlier flat liability cap of \u20b91,500 crore for reactors of 10 MW thermal capacity or above.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It introduces graded liability caps, linked to the size and capacity of nuclear installations, aiming to better reflect varying risk profiles.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Insurance and Financial Security<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The obligation to maintain insurance or other financial security to cover nuclear liability applies only to private operators.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Central government\u2013owned installations are exempt from this requirement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the law authorises the Centre to create a Nuclear Liability Fund to meet its compensation obligations in the event of a nuclear incident.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Strengthened Penalty Framework<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SHANTI Bill introduces a two-tier penalty system:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monetary penalties for less serious violations (a provision absent in earlier laws).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Imprisonment for grave offences, reinforcing accountability and deterrence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>SHANTI Bill and the Transparency Challenge<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The SHANTI Bill, 2025 has sparked concern for explicitly overriding the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 through <\/span><b>Section 39<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This provision allows the Central government to declare wide categories of nuclear-related information as \u201crestricted\u201d, including data on nuclear materials, plant design, operations, siting, and regulatory submissions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once notified, such information is completely exempt from disclosure under the RTI Act, as Section 39 applies \u201cnotwithstanding anything\u201d in the RTI law.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>How This Differs from Existing RTI Exemptions<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The RTI Act already permits withholding sensitive information related to national security, strategic interests, commercial confidence, and personal data.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crucially, these exemptions are conditional, subject to justification, appeals, and a public interest override under Section 8(2).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Why Section 39 Raises Red Flags<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Section 39 removes these safeguards entirely. There is no balancing test, appeal mechanism, or scope for public interest review.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critics warn this could institutionalise secrecy, weaken accountability, deter whistleblowing, and limit independent scrutiny\u2014especially significant as private players enter the nuclear sector.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source<\/b><strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/by-overriding-rti-act-new-law-triggers-transparency-concerns-10429496\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/shanti-bill-how-india-is-overhauling-its-nuclear-power-sector-10429495\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The SHANTI Bill opens India\u2019s nuclear sector to private players, revises liability norms, and overrides RTI safeguards\u2014reshaping nuclear governance to reach 100 GW capacity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":78792,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,4315,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-78770","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-shanti-bill","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}