Lok Sabha passes Nuclear Civil Liability Bill with amendments

The Lok Sabha today passed by a voice vote the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010 by a voice vote with amendments that addressed concerns raised by the Opposition, including the controversial provision of "intent" in the case of an accident.

The passage of the Bill will pave the way for India to engage in nuclear commerce with the world and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it was the completion of a long journey to end the nuclear apartheid against India.

In his intervention during the debate on the Bill, Dr Singh denied that the law was being introduced to advance the interests of the United States or American companies.

"To say that this has been brought to promote American interests, to promote American corporations, I think, this is far from the truth," he said.

He said it would be a travesty of justice for anyone to suggest that the Government had, in any way, compromised India's national interests.

The House rejected an amendment moved by CPI (M) member Basudeb Acharia that sought to raise the liability cap in case of accidents to Rs 10,000 crore instead of the Rs 1500 crore proposed in the Bill.

Dr Singh said that nuclear power was an option that India could not ignore in its quest for energy security at a time when coal and hydro-electricity had several limitations.

He assured the House that the Government would do everything possible to ensure the safety of the nuclear plants and strengthen the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). He said the fact that India had 40 reactors without a single accident was testimony to the abilities of Indian scientists.

"If nuclear energy is a viable option, India must be able to use it. Development is the act of widening the development options that are open to the country. Beyond coal and hydel energy, nuclear energy is the option," he said.

In all the House adopted 18 official amendments. The controversial clause 17(b), after the removal of the provision of "intent", now reads: "...the nuclear incident has resulted as a consequence of an act of supplier or his employee, which includes supply of equipment of material with patent or latent defects or sub-standard services."

NNN