Statement-BSS-Nuclear-2025Download


The Breakthrough Science Society expresses its grave concern over the Sustainable Harnessing and
Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, passed by the Union
Government on 18 December 2025. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 16 December and
passed the very next day, without adequate debate or parliamentary scrutiny, and was subsequently
cleared by the Rajya Sabha on 18 December.

The SHANTI Bill seeks to fundamentally restructure India’s nuclear energy sector. It repeals both
the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act, 2010, thereby
opening the nuclear sector to private Indian companies, joint ventures, and foreign entities for building,
owning, operating, and decommissioning nuclear power plants. The repeal of the CLND Act removes
supplier liability altogether, placing the entire responsibility for compensation in the event of a nuclear
accident on plant operators. Even this liability is capped and linked to installed capacity rather than to
the actual extent of damage caused.

Moreover, the Bill abolishes the operator’s statutory right of recourse against reactor suppliers,
effectively shielding manufacturers from accountability for defective design, substandard components,
or faulty equipment. As a result, the financial burden arising from nuclear accidents is shifted largely
onto the State and the affected public. Given that the safety of nuclear reactors under current
technologies and designs remains unproven worldwide, any move towards large-scale privatisation
poses additional and serious risks.

Another major concern pertains to the safety and financial implications of nuclear waste
management. The Bill requires that all spent fuel produced by nuclear installations be handed over to
the Central Government for further management or returned to the country of origin in line with
relevant agreements. This provision effectively absolves private operators of long-term responsibility
and shifts the enduring financial costs, environmental risks, and safety liabilities of nuclear waste
management onto the government and, ultimately, the public.

In view of these far-reaching and potentially dangerous implications, the Breakthrough Science
Society calls upon the scientific community and the people of India to demand the repeal of the
SHANTI Bill. Such a demand is essential in the interests of public safety, environmental protection, and
democratic accountability.

Dhrubajyoti Mukhopadhyay (President)
Soumitro Banerjee (General Secretary)