Lok Sabha clears Nuclear Liability Bill

The Lok Sabha approved the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill after the Government struck a compromise deal with the Opposition over a contentious clause that deals with the liability of a supplier. Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan moved the Bill in the Lok Sabha and tabled an amendment to Clause 17(B). He said the Government has taken on board the amendments proposed by the Opposition to the Bill. The Opposition wanted the word "intent" to be dropped from the clause as it meant that suppliers would be liable for an accident only if it could be proved they had the intent to cause the damage. "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," says the rephrased amendment.



Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh assured the parliament that the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill did not compromise India's interests and urged that the measure be adopted unanimously. He told the Lok Sabha that the Government was doing everything possible to strengthen safety norms for the operation of nuclear plants. "The Nuclear Liability Bill completes our journey to end the apartheid in the nuclear field," Prime Minister said during a debate. "To say that this Bill is aimed at advancing US interest is far from truth; and history will be the judge," he added.

Notwithstanding the amendments made in the Bill, the BJP accused the Government of rushing it through in the parliament ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit to India in November. The Union Cabinet had cleared 18 amendments on August 20, including the one that deals with a clause on liability of a supplier in the event of a nuclear accident. The proposed law triples the liability cap to Rs15bn from the earlier Rs5bn on an operator in case of an accident. The passage of the Bill is considered critical for India to start nuclear commerce with the international community.