What Happened
Six months after Parliament passed the landmark Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, the Government has notified amendments operationalising private-sector entry into India’s civil nuclear power sector. The SHANTI framework repeals the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA), 2010, and permits private companies to undertake plant operations, power generation, equipment manufacturing, and selected fuel-cycle activities — while reserving strategic and sensitive activities for the Central Government and its wholly-owned institutions.
Why It Matters
India’s installed nuclear capacity is barely 8 GW. The Nuclear Energy Mission targets 100 GW by 2047 — impossible without private capital. CLNDA §17 (operator’s right of recourse against suppliers) historically scared away GE, Westinghouse, Areva. The new framework retains a liability regime but recalibrates supplier exposure, aligning with the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC). This is also a clean-energy and energy-security pivot away from coal.
Key Concepts
- Atomic Energy Act, 1962 — gave Centre monopoly over nuclear energy; being repealed.
- CLNDA, 2010 §17 — operator’s right of recourse against supplier for defective equipment.
- AERB — Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, civilian nuclear safety regulator.
- NPCIL — Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, current sole operator.
- IAEA Safeguards — civilian facilities under international inspection per 2008 India-specific safeguards.
CLAT Connection
Polity: Article 51(c) — fostering respect for international law and treaty obligations (CSC, NPT, IAEA). Legal Reasoning: classic statutory-repeal-and-replacement; sovereign immunity vs. tortious liability of operator/supplier under CLNDA §17. GK: three-stage nuclear programme of Homi Bhabha; Current Affairs: India-US 123 Agreement (2008), NSG waiver. Expect MCQs on SHANTI Bill, CLNDA §17, Article 51, and AERB.
Test Your Understanding
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
