Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 (SHANTI Bill). The Lok Sabha already passed the bill a day before.
The passed bill seeks to increase the share of nuclear energy in the total energy mix of India, facilitate innovation in nuclear science and technology and provide statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
PM Modi hails passing of the SHANTI Bill
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the passing of the SHANTI Bill by both Houses of Parliament. He wrote on X, “The passing of the SHANTI Bill by both Houses of Parliament marks a transformational moment for our technology landscape. My gratitude to MPs who have supported its passage. From safely powering AI to enabling green manufacturing, it delivers a decisive boost to a clean-energy future for the country and the world. It also opens numerous opportunities for the private sector and our youth. This is the ideal time to invest, innovate and build in India!”
What is the bill all about?
The bill seeks to repeal the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010. The opposition parties expressed apprehension over safety to which union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh replied, saying the safety aspect has not been diluted.
Jitendra Singh said the new legislation is aligned to achieve the objectives of increasing the share of nuclear energy in the total energy mix of India, will facilitate innovation in atomic science and technology, expand its applications to non-power applications and continue to honour India’s obligations towards safety, security, safeguards and towards nuclear liability.
India has set an ambitious target to achieve energy independence with a roadmap for decarbonisation of the economy by 2070 and to achieve 100 Giga Watt of nuclear power capacity by 2047.
The bill seeks to leverage the contribution of domestic nuclear energy to augment the global nuclear energy ecosystem.
Opposition parties demanded bill be referred to standing committee
Opposition members strongly demanded that the bill be referred to the standing or select committee, stating that it has wide-ranging implications and its impact will be felt for decades. They alleged that the government had diluted the liability clause and asked whether it was bringing the bill under any pressure. The amendments moved by the opposition members were negatived.
Jitendra Singh said that wide consultations were held before framing the bill.
Jairam Ramesh accuses BJP government of U-turn
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday slammed the BJP-led government over provisions of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025, (SHANTI Bill), saying that the party was going against the stance of its own leaders Arun Jaitley and Jaswant Singh when the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, was enacted in 2010.
Participating in the debate on the SHANTI Bill in Rajya Sabha, he said Modi government was deft in coining acronyms, saying they appear to coin acronyms first and draft policies later.
“I have no objection to accepting that there is no match for the Modi government when it comes to finding acronyms, inventing family-related words, using them effectively, and giving colourful names to bills. They come up with an acronym first and then an Act, first an acronym and then a policy, and today we are seeing examples like first ‘Shanti’ and second ‘G RAMG’,” he said.
(With ANI Inputs)
