New Delhi:The Civil Nuclear Liability Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after months of complicated negotiations and with a political compromise between the Central Government and the Opposition.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh assured the parliament that the
Civil Nuclear Liability Bill did not compromise India's interests, saying it completes
our journey to end the apartheid in the nuclear field. "I categorically state
that this Bill is a completion of journey to end the nuclear apartheid which the
world had imposed on India. To say that this Bill is aimed at advancing US interest
is far from truth; and history will be the judge," said Dr Singh. "We will do
everything to strengthen the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Board. The concern over
safety is one I share with the Opposition. India wished to use nuclear energy
in a major way," he added over the concern of the Opposition over the Bill. The
Prime Minister said the Government was indulging in a 'sleight of hand' by first
introducing the word 'and' and later 'intent' in the draft bill, while referring
to various attempts by the Centre to introduce contentious clauses in the Bill.
Referring to various attempts by the government to introduce contentious clauses
in the Bill on which it had to backtrack, Singh said the government was indulging
in a "sleight of hand" by first introducing the word 'and' and later 'intent'
in the draft bill. The Central Government tabled the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill
on wednesday and dropped a controversial amendment to a contentious clause on
the liability of suppliers in case of accident in the civil nuclear damages bill,
in a bid to evolve a consensus on the measure. Minister of State for Science and
Technology Prithviraj Chavan moved the Bill in the House and tabled an amendment
to Clause 17(B), which now does not have the word 'intent' with regard to suppliers
or their employees in causing an accident in a nuclear plant. "The nuclear incident
has resulted as a consequence of an act of supplier or his employee, which includes
supply of equipment or material with patent or latent defects or sub-standard
services," reads the rephrased amendment now. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led
Opposition had on Tuesday decided to put the Government on the back foot over
the issue of Nuclear Liability Bill in the Parliament today. The Union Cabinet
cleared 18 amendments on August 20, including the one, which deals with a clause
on liability of a supplier in the event of a nuclear accident. The passage of
the Bill is considered important for starting nuclear commerce between India and
the international community. Earlier, the government had listed the Bill for introduction
on March 15, but had to defer it at the last moment after it realised that it
did not have the requisite numbers to see its introduction in the Lok Sabha. In
the present form, the Bill limits liability to the operator for each nuclear accident
at Rs 500 crore.
