Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill (SHANTI BILL) 2025 (with questions ) FOR UPSC CIVIL SERVICES PERSONAL INTERVIEWS 2025

 SET:S&T:AE:’SHANTI BILL,2025 /17122025/ 

NOTES ON SHANTI BILL, 2025 (for G S Papers) {Prepared on 17.12.2025 } 

For Study purpose only 

NB: For any doubts clarification, please refer to the recommended text books 

TOPIC :S&T:AE: SHANTI BILL, 2025 (with questions for 

UPSC(CSE)(Prelims) Exams. ,2026 

Question: Expand SHANTI BILL ?

Ans: Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025

Question: SHANTI Bill ,2025 relating to which aspect ?

Ans : A Bill  named as  the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025,  was introduced in Parliament on 15.12.2025 , marking a major step towards updating India’s legal framework governing nuclear energy. 

Question: The proposed SHANTI Bill 2025 replaces which Acts?

Ans : The proposed legislation seeks to repeal (i)the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and(ii) the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, and replace them with a single, comprehensive law aligned with India’s present and future energy requirements.

Question: What are the Objects and Reasons for SHANTI Bill,2025 ?

Ans : 

(1)According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons accompanying the Bill, sustained research and development have enabled India to achieve self-reliance across the nuclear fuel cycle and to operate its nuclear power programme in a responsible manner. With this experience in place, the government sees scope to significantly enhance nuclear installed capacity to support clean energy security and provide reliable round-the-clock power for emerging needs such as data centres and future-ready applications.

(2)The proposed bill is closely linked to India’s long-term energy and climate goals. The Statement outlines the country’s roadmap for decarbonisation by 2070 and a target of achieving 100 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2047. To meet these objectives, the Bill emphasises the need to harness indigenous nuclear resources more fully and enable active participation of both public and private sectors, while also positioning India as a contributor to the global nuclear energy ecosystem.

(3)At the operational level, the Bill lays down provisions for licensing and safety authorisation for specified persons involved in the production or use of nuclear energy, along with clear grounds for suspension or cancellation. It seeks to bring under regulation the use of nuclear and radiation technologies in areas such as healthcare, food and agriculture, industry and research, while exempting research, development and innovation activities from licensing requirements.

(4)The Bill also proposes a revised and pragmatic civil liability framework for nuclear damage, confers statutory status on the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, and strengthens mechanisms related to safety, security, safeguards, quality assurance and emergency preparedness.

Question: According to the SHANTI Bill, 2025 which institutions will be created ?

Ans:

 It provides for the creation of new institutional arrangements, including an (i)Atomic Energy Redressal Advisory Council, designation of Claims Commissioners, and

(ii) a Nuclear Damage Claims Commission for cases involving severe nuclear damage,

(iii) with the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity acting as the appellate authority.

By introducing the Bill, the government has signalled its intent to modernise nuclear governance in line with India’s energy transition, technological progress and international obligations. 

The proposed legislation seeks to balance expansion of nuclear energy with safety, accountability and public interest, placing nuclear power within the broader national effort towards energy security and a lower-carbon future.

Gist of bill : 

1) SHANTI Bill is introduced in Lok Sabha which aims to incentivise private sector participation, both Indian and foreign, into nuclear power production.

2) It does this by replacing India’s existing laws — 

(i)the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and 

(ii)the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act, 2010, — with the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025.

Change proposed are :-

1)The Bill  creates an atomic energy regulatory structure that is answerable to Parliament, 

2)removes the Nuclear Power Corporation of India’s monopoly over operating nuclear plants, and 

3)restricts the instances under which nuclear power plant operators can claim compensation from suppliers of equipment in case of an accident. 

4) It also buffers operators by introducing limits on the extent of their liability, in case of violating the laws under the Act, based on the size of the plants they operate, and limits the maximum penalty on them to Rs.1 crore even in the case of a “severe breach”.

5)“The Bill proposes a revised and pragmatic civil liability framework for nuclear damage, confers statutory status on the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), and strengthens mechanisms related to safety, security, safeguards, quality assurance and emergency preparedness,” 

6)Privatising the nuclear power sector, which currently makes up 1.5% of India’s installed power capacity, and 3% of the electricity produced, has been on the government’s agenda in recent years to boost clean energy production, improve grid stability, and move towards its 2070 net-zero (zero net-carbon emissions) targets.

7)This includes 

i)scaling-up installed nuclear power to 100 GW, up from the current 8.8 GW, by 2047; 

ii)a Rs.20,000 crore Nuclear mission launched in the Union Budget (2025-26) to develop ‘small modular reactors’(SMRs); and a slew of customised 220 MW pressurised heavy water reactors(BSMRs).

8)“The Bill gives hope for large-scale innovation in nuclear technology through amendments in patent laws, aligns with global liability conventions, and proposes the expansion of nuclear energy projects through private sector participation. It is opined that any  explanation regarding the CNLD Act of 2010 seemed inadequate to foreign and domestic suppliers and vendors.