The bill seeks to leverage the contribution of domestic nuclear energy to augment the global nuclear energy ecosystem.
The Parliament on Thursday gave the green light to the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, paving the way for private sector participation in the nuclear energy industry. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and approved by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
What is SHANTI Bill?
The Bill allows “any department of the Government of India or any institution or authority or corporation established or owned or controlled by such government, any government company, any other company, a joint venture among any of the aforesaid; or any other person expressly permitted by the central government, by notification, to set up such facilities or undertake such activities.”
The Bill was introduced in Parliament on Monday by Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh. In his reply to the debate, he sought to allay the apprehensions of opposition members and said the safety aspect has not been diluted. The bill seeks to repeal the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010.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.
How will it change India’s nuclear energy sector?
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 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.
The bill opens the atomic energy sector to private players, seeking 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. Jitendra Singh underlined 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, the Minister said the Bill does not dilute compensation to victims. He noted 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.
He said this includes operator liability, a proposed government-backed Nuclear Liability Fund, and additional international compensation through India’s participation in the Convention on Supplementary Compensation. The Minister 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. 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 of nuclear capacity by 2047, without compromising national security or the public interest.
(With inputs from ANI)
