Government forgot promises made on nuclear energy in Parliament: Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has accused the Central Government of not taking any concrete steps to promote nuclear energy in the recently concluded monsoon session of Parliament. He said in his post on social media platform X that the Central Government had made big promises about nuclear energy in the Budget 2025-26, but not a single bill related to them was introduced in the Parliament session. He also objected to the amendment to the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 brought during the Congress government.

Jairam Ramesh said that in the budget speech, the Finance Minister had announced two major reforms. First, amendment to the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 and second, amendment to the Atomic Energy Act to allow private companies to set up and operate nuclear plants. He said whether the government will introduce these bills in the winter session to be held after three months or these will also be shelved. He asked what happened to the proposed bill which deals with the establishment of an independent regulatory body. A body which is not a part of the nuclear power establishment and which can ensure transparency and fairness of regulation.

He said that if the government really wants to promote private investment, then it should give priority to these legislative steps. Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj played an important role in finalizing the Civil Liability Act, 2010 with the support of the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The proposed amendment would be like weakening those achievements.

It is worth mentioning that the Civil Liability Act, 2010, made for nuclear damage, was made for compensation and liability for damage caused by a nuclear accident in India. This Act is very strict and based on the no-fault liability principle. According to this Act, in case of an accident, the operator (like NPCIL) will have to pay a maximum compensation of up to Rs 1,500 crore without proving fault. If the damage is more, then the government and international funds help. Suppliers can also be held responsible for faulty equipment. This law has been made to provide quick compensation to the victims, promote nuclear energy and follow international rules.