**Executive Summary**
The Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh addressed the Lok Sabha debate on the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 (SHANTI Bill). The Minister outlined the government's rationale for introducing the new nuclear law, aiming to modernize the nuclear framework while retaining safety, security, and regulatory safeguards. The Bill seeks to achieve 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, as India approaches the centenary of Independence.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Statutory Status and Regulatory Oversight:**
* The proposed legislation consolidates existing laws and upgrades regulatory architecture.
* The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board receives statutory status, moving from an executive order.
* Safety norms, security controls, and periodic inspections remain firmly under government oversight.
* Private entities will not have control over sensitive materials, and spent fuel management will remain governmental.
* **Liability and Compensation:**
* The Bill does not dilute compensation to victims.
* Operator liability is rationalized through graded caps linked to reactor size.
* A multi-layered mechanism ensures full compensation, including operator liability, a proposed Nuclear Liability Fund, and international compensation.
* Supplier liability has been removed after consideration of global practices. Negligence and penal provisions remain enforceable under the law.
* **Nuclear Energy Goals and Applications:**
* The Bill enables responsible private and joint venture participation to bridge resource constraints and shorten gestation periods.
* The national goal is to reach 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047.
* Nuclear energy has applications beyond power generation, including cancer care, agriculture, and industry.
* The Bill recognizes environmental and economic damage within the definition of nuclear harm.
* **Investment and Innovation:**
* Dedicated investments are announced for small modular reactors and research and innovation.
* The proposed law aims to create an enabling ecosystem for clean, reliable energy.
**Impact Analysis**
**Government**
* **Impact:** Enhanced regulatory control, consolidation of nuclear laws, and modernization of the nuclear framework.
* **Action Required:** Implement the SHANTI Bill, oversee safety and security measures, and manage spent fuel.
**Private Sector**
* **Impact:** Opportunity for responsible participation in nuclear projects through joint ventures.
* **Action Required:** Engage in responsible private and joint venture participation to bridge resource constraints and shorten gestation periods.
**Citizens/Public**
* **Impact:** Ensured safety and compensation in case of nuclear incidents, access to clean and reliable energy, and benefits from nuclear applications in various sectors.
* **Action Required:** Remain informed about the advancements in nuclear energy and safety measures.
Key Entities Referenced
Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 (SHANTI Bill): Proposed legislation aimed at modernizing India's nuclear framework.
Atomic Energy Act of 1962: Existing legislation that SHANTI Bill seeks to update and consolidate.
Atomic Energy Regulatory Board: Nuclear regulator proposed to be given statutory status under the SHANTI Bill.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Indian Parliament, where the SHANTI Bill was debated.
Nuclear Liability Fund: Proposed fund to ensure compensation to affected persons through a multi-layered mechanism under SHANTI bill.
Department of Atomic Energy
Dr. Jitendra Singh Says SHANTI Bill Retains
Strong Safety and Liability Safeguards Amid Lok
Sabha Debate
Statutory Status for Nuclear Regulator, Updated Liability
Framework at Core of SHANTI Bill: Dr. Jitendra Singh
Private Participation Needed to Meet India’s 2047 Clean
Energy Goals, Minister Tells Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha Hears Minister’s Detailed Reply on SHANTI Bill,
Emphasising Safety, Accountability and Clean Energy Goals
प्रव तथ: 17 DEC 2025 7:33PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh on Tuesday replied to the debate in the Lok
Sabha on the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill,
2025, addressing concerns raised by Members and outlining the government’s rationale for introducing a
comprehensive new nuclear law. Responding to points cutting across party lines, the Minister said the Bill
seeks to modernise India’s nuclear framework in line with contemporary technological, economic and
energy realities, while retaining and strengthening core safety, security and regulatory safeguards that have
been in place since the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 .
Dr. Jitendra Singh underlined that the proposed legislation consolidates existing laws and upgrades the
regulatory architecture by giving statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, which until now
functioned through an executive order. He stressed that safety norms, security controls over fissile
material, spent fuel and heavy water, and periodic inspections remain firmly under government oversight,
regardless of private participation. The Minister clarified that private entities will not have control over
sensitive materials, and that spent fuel management will continue to be handled by the government, as has
been the practice for decades .
On liability, a central theme of the debate, the Minister said the Bill does not dilute compensation to
victims. He explained that operator liability has been rationalised through graded caps linked to reactor
size to encourage newer technologies such as small modular reactors, while ensuring that full
compensation is available to affected persons through a multi-layered mechanism. This includes operator
liability, a proposed Nuclear Liability Fund backed by the government, and additional international
compensation through India’s participation in the Convention on Supplementary Compensation. He
maintained that supplier liability was removed after detailed consideration of global practices and
advances in reactor safety, while negligence and penal provisions remain enforceable under the law .Dr. Jitendra Singh also rejected the view that the Bill signals a retreat from public sector capability,
pointing to a nearly 170 per cent increase in the Department of Atomic Energy’s budget over the past
decade and a doubling of installed nuclear capacity since 2014. He said India’s nuclear contribution to the
energy mix remains modest compared to global peers, and scaling it up is essential to meet rising demand
from sectors such as data processing, healthcare and industry, alongside renewables. The Bill, he added,
enables responsible private and joint venture participation to bridge resource constraints, shorten gestation
periods and support the national goal of 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047, without compromising
national security or public interest .
Placing the legislation in a broader context, the Minister said nuclear energy has applications beyond
power generation, including cancer care, agriculture and industry, and the Bill for the first time explicitly
recognises environmental and economic damage within the definition of nuclear harm. With dedicated
investments announced for small modular reactors and research and innovation, Dr. Jitendra Singh said
the proposed law aims to create an enabling ecosystem for clean, reliable energy as India approaches the
centenary of Independence, while upholding the long-standing commitment to peaceful use of atomic
energy.*****
NKR/AK
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