India’s Nuclear Future Opens Up As Parliament Passes The SHANTI Bill: What It Means For Atomic Energy Push

New Delhi: The two houses of Parliament on Thursday gave the green light to the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025, known as the SHANTI Bill. The Rajya Sabha followed the Lower House in passing the bill, which is to lift the share of nuclear power in India’s overall energy mix, encourage scientific and technological innovation in the atomic sector and give the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) a formal statutory footing.

According to information, the new act would do away with the old Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010. In their place it would introduce a framework that lets private enterprises own and operate nuclear reactors, something that has until now been the exclusive domain of state‑run bodies. The bill also sought to broaden the use of nuclear technology beyond electricity generation, for example, in medicine, agriculture and industry.

Talking to the media personnel, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said that the changes are essential if India is to meet its ambitious climate and energy goals. He explained that the nation wants to become energy‑independent by 2070 and to have 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2047. By opening the sector to private investment, the government hopes to attract fresh capital, cutting‑edge technology and expertise, especially for small modular reactors. Jitendra Singh stressed that safety would not be compromised, but the existing safeguards, inspections and controls over fissile material, spent fuel and heavy water will remain firmly in government hands. He added that private firms will never be allowed to take charge of sensitive nuclear substances.

Liability And Compensation

On the contentious issue of liability, the minister said the bill does not reduce the compensation available to victims of a nuclear accident. Instead, it introduces a tiered system where the operator’s liability is capped according to the size of the reactor, encouraging the adoption of newer, smaller designs. A multi‑layered compensation scheme would be put in place, comprising the operator’s liability, a government‑backed Nuclear Liability Fund and additional international funds accessed through India’s participation in the Convention on Supplementary Compensation. The supplier liability has been removed after a review of global practice, but negligence and criminal provisions will still apply.

The members of the opposition argued that the bill had big effects and should have been sent to a standing or select committee for closer scrutiny. They claimed the government was diluting the liability clause and questioned whether the legislation was being rushed under external pressure. However, their proposed amendments were rejected, and the House voted the bill through by voice.

Union Minister Briefs On The Bill

Minister Jitendra Singh reminded the house that the bill had been shaped after extensive dialogue and discussion. He said officials had held talks with a variety of stakeholders, including inter‑ministerial groups and industry leaders, scientific experts, start‑ups and possible business partners, for more than a year. He added that this broad engagement was part of a learning process for the government itself.

To spur private participation in research and development, the government has earmarked a 1 lakh crore rupee fund for nuclear innovation. The bill also mentioned small modular reactors as a key component of the future nuclear ecosystem.

Budget And capacity growth

Jitendra Singh claimed that the Department of Atomic Energy’s budget has risen by about 170 percent over the past 10 years, and that installed nuclear capacity has more than doubled since 2014. Despite this progress, he said India’s nuclear contribution remains modest compared with many other countries, and scaling up is vital to meet rising demand from sectors such as data centres, healthcare and heavy industry.

As per the analysts, if the SHANTI Bill is fully implemented, it should enable responsible private and joint‑venture projects to help bridge funding gaps, shorten project timelines and bring India closer to its 100 GW nuclear target by 2047, all while preserving national security and public safety. The legislation also formally recognised environmental and economic damage as part of nuclear harm, opening the door for broader applications of atomic energy as the nation heads toward the centenary of its independence.