Opposition Alarms Over SHANTI Bill: Safety, Sovereignty, Liability at Risk in Nuclear Shift

• Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha warn SHANTI Bill dangerously shifts India's nuclear energy from state dominance to private players, raising public safety and sovereignty concerns.
• Critics argue the Bill weakens liability provisions, shielding reactor suppliers and shifting accident costs to the State and victims, termed "privatise profit, socialise liability."
• Trinamool Congress's Sagarika Ghose and DMK's P Wilson expressed fears over weakened safety and handing sensitive nuclear operations to profit-driven entities.
• MPs questioned India's move towards a private-led model, noting major nuclear powers like France, China, Russia rely on state control, unlike the US model.
• Government defends the Bill as essential for modernizing law and accelerating nuclear capacity to meet the 100 GW target by 2047, citing public capital limitations.

Why It Matters: SHANTI Bill sparks intense debate over private nuclear power, safety, and who bears accident liability.