PARLIAMENT QUESTION: NUCLEAR ENERGY MISSION FOR VIKSIT BHARAT

1. At a Glance

• Nuclear Energy Mission (NEM), announced in Union Budget 2025–26, targets 100 GWe nuclear capacity by 2047 to support Viksit Bharat and net-zero by 2070 [1].
• Aims to operationalise at least five indigenous Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) by 2033 [1].
• Backed by the newly enacted SHANTI Act, 2025, which liberalises private participation in India's nuclear sector for the first time [1][3].
• Tests both static nuclear-policy knowledge (Atomic Energy Act, AERB) and dynamic 2025–26 legislative/budgetary developments — a classic GS-II/GS-III crossover topic.

2. Why in the News

• PIB Delhi issued a Parliament Question response dated 22 July 2026 on the status of the Nuclear Energy Mission, detailing SMR designs and the SHANTI Act framework [1].
• The SHANTI Bill, 2025 was passed by Lok Sabha (17 Dec 2025) and Rajya Sabha (18 Dec 2025), and received Presidential assent on 21 December 2025 [3][5].
• A PIB workshop on "SHANTI Act, 2025: Enabling India's 100 GW Nuclear Power Roadmap through Public–Private Partnership" was subsequently held [4].

3. Background & Evolution

• India's civil nuclear programme has historically been governed by the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, both public-sector-monopoly frameworks [3].
• Union Budget 2025–26: Finance Minister announced the Nuclear Energy Mission with an outlay of ₹20,000 crore for SMR research, design, development and deployment [6].
• December 2025: SHANTI Bill introduced in Lok Sabha (15 Dec 2025), passed by both Houses, and enacted as the SHANTI Act, 2025 — consolidating/replacing the 1962 and 2010 laws to allow private and foreign participation [3][5].
• 2026: BARC's SMR design work (BSMR-200, SMR-55, HTGCR) reported to Parliament, alongside continuing capacity roadmap disclosures [1][2].

4. Core Static Facts

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic

• ₹20,000 crore Budget outlay signals a major capital push into indigenous nuclear technology manufacturing [6].
• Opens a new private-investment avenue in a historically state-monopoly sector, potentially crowding in domestic and foreign capital [3].

Scientific / Technological

• Indigenous SMR designs (BSMR-200, SMR-55, HTGCR) reduce import dependence and target niche uses — grid power and hydrogen production via high-temperature process heat [1].
• SMRs allow modular, faster-to-build reactors compared to large conventional plants, aiding scale-up toward the 2047 target [1].

Legal / Constitutional

• SHANTI Act, 2025 is a landmark statutory reform, replacing two long-standing laws (1962 Act, 2010 Liability Act) with a unified framework [3].
• Grants the AERB a stronger, more clearly defined regulatory mandate applied on an entity- and technology-neutral basis [2].

Governance / Administrative

• Graded civil liability (₹100–3,000 crore) recalibrates risk allocation between operators and the state, intended to attract private/foreign entrants while retaining safety accountability [2].
• DAE remains nodal department; implementation execution likely to be split between DAE/NPCIL and new private entrants under AERB oversight [1][2].

Environmental

• Nuclear scale-up is positioned as a decarbonisation lever, aligned with India's net-zero-by-2070 commitment [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• Feb 2025: Union Budget 2025–26 announces Nuclear Energy Mission with ₹20,000 crore outlay [6].
• 15 Dec 2025: SHANTI Bill, 2025 introduced in Lok Sabha [5].
• 17–18 Dec 2025: Passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively [5].
• 21 Dec 2025: Presidential assent granted, SHANTI Act, 2025 enacted [3][5].
• 2026: PIB workshop held on SHANTI Act implementation and public-private partnership roadmap for 100 GW target [4].
• 22 Jul 2026: Parliament informed via PIB press release on BARC's SMR design progress and mission status [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• Nuclear Energy Mission announced in Union Budget 2025–26 with an outlay of ₹20,000 crore [6].
• Target: 100 GWe nuclear capacity by 2047 [1].
• Target: at least five indigenous SMRs operational by 2033 [1].
• Nodal department: Department of Atomic Energy (not Ministry of Power) [1].
• BSMR-200: 220 MWe pressurised water reactor designed by BARC [1].
• SMR-55: 55 MWe reactor designed by BARC [1].
• HTGCR: up to 5 MWth, designed for hydrogen production [1].
• SHANTI Act, 2025 received Presidential assent on 21 December 2025 [3][5].
• SHANTI Act replaces the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 [3].
• SHANTI Act allows private sector participation in setting up nuclear facilities under Central Government license [2].
• Graded civil liability under SHANTI Act ranges from ₹100 crore to ₹3,000 crore depending on facility type [2].
• AERB (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board) provides regulatory oversight, applied on an entity- and technology-neutral basis [2].
• SHANTI Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on 17 December 2025 and Rajya Sabha on 18 December 2025 [5].
• Parliamentary reply on NEM status given by Dr Jitendra Singh, MoS for Atomic Energy [1].
• Net-zero carbon emissions target referenced alongside the mission: 2070 [1].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Infrastructure — Energy; Science & Technology — indigenization of technology; Achievements of Indians in science.
• GS-II: Government policies and interventions; statutory, regulatory bodies (AERB).
• Plausible question stems: 1. "Discuss the significance of the Nuclear Energy Mission in achieving India's Viksit Bharat and net-zero goals. Examine the role of Small Modular Reactors in this strategy." (GS-III) 2. "Critically examine the SHANTI Act, 2025 as a legislative shift from public-monopoly to public-private participation in India's nuclear energy sector." (GS-II/GS-III) 3. "How does India's revised civil liability framework for nuclear damage balance investor confidence with public safety accountability?" (GS-II)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• Atomic Energy Act, 1962 / Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 — the predecessor laws now replaced by SHANTI Act [3].
• NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd) — existing public-sector nuclear operator, relevant to capacity roadmap.
• International nuclear liability regimes (CSC — Convention on Supplementary Compensation) — referenced via SDR-based liability cap [2].
• India's Net Zero 2070 commitment — broader climate policy this mission feeds into [1].
• National Green Hydrogen Mission — linked via HTGCR's hydrogen-production application [1].
• AERB's regulatory reforms — statutory status and entity-neutral oversight model [2].
• Make in India / Atmanirbhar Bharat in strategic sectors — indigenous SMR design as case study [1].

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Confusing the nodal department (DAE) with Ministry of Power or Ministry of New and Renewable Energy — nuclear remains under DAE [1].
• Mixing up SMR capacities: BSMR-200 is 220 MWe (name suggests 200, actual capacity 220), SMR-55 is 55 MWe, HTGCR is MWth (thermal, not electric) [1].
• Treating SHANTI Act as merely a liability law — it is a consolidated framework replacing both the 1962 Act and 2010 Liability Act, not an amendment to just one [3].
• Confusing the 100 GWe by 2047 target with the SMR-specific five reactors by 2033 sub-target — these are distinct milestones [1].
• Net-zero year confusion — India's national net-zero target is 2070, distinct from other countries' 2050 targets [1].