Parliament Clears SHANTI Bill Amid Safety and Growth Debate
SHANTI Bill Aims to Modernise Nuclear Power with Oversight
New Delhi: The Indian Parliament today passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, marking a significant legislative update to the country’s civilian nuclear sector. Approved by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the Bill is being presented by the government as a modernisation of India’s nuclear framework, designed to expand research and private participation while retaining strict regulatory oversight, strategic autonomy, and public accountability.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, in his address to the Rajya Sabha, emphasised that the SHANTI Bill consolidates provisions from the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act. It also grants statutory recognition to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, formalising its regulatory authority and strengthening oversight. Dr Singh highlighted that government control over strategic materials, fissile substances, spent fuel, and heavy water remains absolute, with private-sector involvement restricted to research, exploration, and defined technology-development initiatives. He framed the Bill as a response to changing global energy demands and technological advances, noting that objections raised to nuclear reforms in 2010 must be revisited in light of today’s capabilities, including Small Modular Reactors and Bharat Small Reactors, which were previously unimaginable.
Safety remains central to the Bill’s design. Dr Singh reassured Parliament that radiation levels at Indian nuclear plants, including Kudankulam, Kalpakkam, Rawatbhata, and Tarapur, remain well below international limits and present no scientifically observed carcinogenic risk. Regulatory oversight includes quarterly inspections during construction, biannual operational audits, five-yearly license renewals, and alignment with International Atomic Energy Agency standards. Cybersecurity protections have also been enhanced, encompassing encryption, secure coding, malware filtering, multi-layered audits, and other digital safeguards, reflecting awareness of modern threat landscapes. Despite these measures, practical enforcement challenges, especially as nuclear capacity scales, remain a point of observation for analysts.
The SHANTI Bill introduces a graded liability framework, linking operator responsibility to reactor size to encourage participation by smaller investors and new technologies without compromising victim compensation. A government-backed Nuclear Liability Fund, combined with international mechanisms such as the Convention on Supplementary Compensation, ensures a multi-layered safety net. The legal definition of nuclear damage has been expanded to include environmental and economic harm, while the creation of the Atomic Energy Redressal Commission is intended to expedite dispute resolution, without limiting access to the courts.
India’s long-term nuclear capacity roadmap, as outlined by Dr Singh, envisions staged expansion: 22 GW by 2032, 47 GW by 2037, 67 GW by 2042, and 100 GW by 2047, contributing nearly 10 per cent of the nation’s energy requirements. Nuclear energy is positioned as a critical enabler for powering artificial intelligence, green manufacturing, and round-the-clock industrial operations. While private participation is framed as a pragmatic tool to accelerate deployment and research, questions remain about integrating new actors without compromising oversight and public accountability.
Strategically, the SHANTI Bill signals India’s intention to adopt international best practices selectively, retaining control over sensitive materials and limiting civilian nuclear activities to non-weapons applications. This cautious approach underscores the tension between fostering technological collaboration and safeguarding sovereignty—a dynamic closely watched by international partners, particularly in Asia and Europe.
The legislation also highlights the role of nuclear science beyond energy generation. Applications in healthcare, agriculture, food preservation, and cancer treatment—including advanced therapies for childhood leukaemia and prostate cancer at institutions such as Tata Memorial Centre—illustrate the sector’s social relevance. By facilitating research participation and innovation, the Bill aims to translate nuclear technology into broader societal benefits, though the scale and pace of this translation will be a key measure of its impact.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the passage of the SHANTI Bill as a transformative step for India’s technology and clean-energy landscape. He highlighted its potential to safely power AI-driven industry, enable green manufacturing, and open opportunities for private enterprise and youth innovation, framing the legislation as a cornerstone of India’s clean-energy future.
While the SHANTI Bill establishes a detailed legal and regulatory framework for the country’s civilian nuclear sector, its long-term success is uncertain. The legislation strengthens oversight and clarifies liability structures, yet practical questions remain regarding the effectiveness of safety, environmental safeguards, and regulatory enforcement as capacity expands. Balancing private participation, technological innovation, energy targets, and public accountability will be a continuing challenge. Ultimately, the Bill sets the stage for India’s nuclear ambitions, but its success will hinge on careful implementation, technological execution, and sustained scrutiny from both Parliament and the public.
– global bihari bureau
