The Congress on Saturday suggested that the Shanti Bill, to open up the nuclear energy sector to private partnership, should be renamed the “Trump Act”, citing the push for diluting India’s liability provision in the earlier law in the National Defence Authorisation Act signed by the US President on Thursday.
According to the Congress, the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (Shanti) Bill, 2025 — passed by Parliament on Thursday amid concerns from the Opposition about the “highly diluted liability regime” and the “vendor-driven” nature of the draft legislation — is an attempt by the Modi government to make peace with the Trump administration. The bill repeals the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010.
Referring to the National Defence Authorisation Act for the US fiscal year 2026, Congress communications in charge Jairam Ramesh flagged a reference to the joint assessment between the US and India on nuclear liability rules in the 3,100-page-long legislation.
“Now we know for sure why the Prime Minister bulldozed the Shanti Bill through Parliament earlier this week that, among other things, did away with key provisions of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, that had been passed unanimously by Parliament. It was to restore Shanti with his once good friend. The Shanti Act may well be called the TRUMP Act — The Reactor Use and Management Promise Act,” Ramesh posted on X.
On the nuclear liability rules, the US Act says the two countries will jointly assess the implementation of the Agreement for Cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of India Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, signed at Washington on October 10, 2008, and discuss opportunities for India to align domestic nuclear liability rules with international norms.
The 2010 Act specifies a maximum liability of ₹1,500 crore for a nuclear reactor with thermal power capacity of 10MW or above. The Shanti Bill, according to PRS Legislative Research, specifies a tiered structure, with a liability limit ranging from ₹100 crore to ₹3,000 crore based on power capacity.
In 2010, the BJP, along with the Left parties, had batted for robust supplier liability provisions. In the statement of objects and reasons for the Shanti Bill, the BJP-led government said there was a need to provide for a pragmatic civil liability regime for nuclear damage.
‘Hate politics’
The ruling Congress in Karnataka on Saturday held a protest at Freedom Park here against the Centre replacing the MGNREGA, and alleged “hate politics” against the party leadership in the National Herald case.
Congress president and deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar said the party and its workers won’t let “Gandhi’s India be converted into Godse’s India”.
Shivakumar hit out at the Centre for targeting Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders in the National Herald case. He accused the Centre of filing false cases against the Congress leadership, by using agencies out of “political hate”.