President Droupadi Murmu
The Bill introduces an elaborate framework on duties and liabilities, including civil liability for nuclear damage. It caps the maximum liability for each nuclear incident at the rupee equivalent of 300 million Special Drawing Rights, with the Central Government assuming liability beyond the operator’s limit in specified cases.Provision has also been made for mandatory insurance or financial security by operators to cover potential liabilities.
NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu has granted assent to the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, passed by Parliament during the Winter Session.
A government notification said that the President granted assent to the SHANTI Bill on Saturday.
The Bill subsumes all laws dealing with the civil nuclear sector and also opens it up for participation by private players.It replaces the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 and aims at modernising India’s nuclear energy laws and opening up the sector for private companies to operate nuclear reactors and plants.
Parliament had passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025, with the Rajya Sabha approving it on Thursday. The Lok Sabha passed the legislation on Wednesday.
It was passed as opposition staged a walkout, during the ongoing Winter Session of parliament.
A key feature of the Bill is the statutory backing for the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), which is deemed to be constituted under the new law.
The AERB will function as the central regulator for nuclear safety, radiation protection, security and safeguards, with enhanced powers for inspection, investigation and enforcement. The Board is also mandated to ensure transparency through structured public outreach while protecting restricted information.
The Bill introduces an elaborate framework on duties and liabilities, including civil liability for nuclear damage. It caps the maximum liability for each nuclear incident at the rupee equivalent of 300 million Special Drawing Rights, with the Central Government assuming liability beyond the operator’s limit in specified cases.
Provision has also been made for mandatory insurance or financial security by operators to cover potential liabilities.
The new nuclear energy bill will spare equipment suppliers from liability in case of incidents, among other sweeping changes to the sector.The proposed law confines liability to plant operators, which will maintain the right to a legal recourse in case of accidents.
The bill does however exclude suppliers from any responsibility and limits the operators’ legal options to individuals who may have intentionally caused damage.