President Grants Assent To Shanti Bill That Opens Up Nuclear Sector For Private Participation

President Droupadi Murmu has granted assent to the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India 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.

The Shanti Bill repealed the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, which had proved to be an impediment in the growth of the civil nuclear sector in India.

The law enables private companies and joint ventures to build, own, operate and decommission nuclear power plants under a license from the government.

It states that mining of uranium and thorium, enrichment, isotopic separation, reprocessing of spent fuel, high-level radioactive waste management and heavy water production will remain exclusively with the central government or government-owned entities.