UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — PARLIAMENT QUESTION: ENHANCING NUCLEAR ENERGY

Q1. The roadmap for attaining a nuclear power capacity of 100 GW by 2047 has been jointly prepared by experts drawn from the Department of Atomic Energy and which one of the following combinations?

  • A. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Solar Energy Corporation of India
  • B. NITI Aayog and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency
  • C. The Ministry of Power and the Central Electricity Authority
  • D. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Central Pollution Control Board

Q2. An allocation of ₹20,000 crore for research, development and deployment of indigenously designed small modular reactors was announced under which one of the following?

  • A. The National Green Hydrogen Mission of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
  • B. The Nuclear Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget 2025-26
  • C. The National Critical Mineral Mission announced in the Union Budget 2025-26
  • D. The SHANTI Act, 2025 enacted by Parliament in its Winter Session

Q3. The design and development of the BSMR-200 and the SMR-55 is being led by which one of the following institutions?

  • A. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam
  • B. Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited, Kalpakkam
  • C. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay
  • D. The Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad

Q4. Under the Nuclear Energy Mission, how many indigenously designed small modular reactors are targeted to be made operational by 2033?

  • A. At least three
  • B. At least five
  • C. At least ten
  • D. At least twenty

Q5. With reference to the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025, consider the following statements: 1. It replaces both the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010. 2. It confers statutory recognition on the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. 3. It permits a company incorporated outside India to be licensed to construct, own and operate a nuclear installation in India. 4. It retains the principle that the operator of a nuclear installation is liable for nuclear damage on a no-fault basis. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It replaces both the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010.
  2. It confers statutory recognition on the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
  3. It permits a company incorporated outside India to be licensed to construct, own and operate a nuclear installation in India.
  4. It retains the principle that the operator of a nuclear installation is liable for nuclear damage on a no-fault basis.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q6. Under the SHANTI Act, 2025, an appeal against an order or decision of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board lies in the first instance to which one of the following?

  • A. The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity constituted under the Electricity Act, 2003
  • B. The Nuclear Damage Claims Commission constituted for compensation claims
  • C. The National Green Tribunal constituted under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
  • D. The Atomic Energy Redressal Advisory Council chaired by the Chairperson of the Atomic Energy Commission

Q7. Consider the following statements comparing India's nuclear legal framework before and after 2025: 1. Whereas licences to handle prescribed substances and operate nuclear installations were earlier confined to central government entities and government companies, the position after 2025 extends eligibility to Indian private companies and to government-private joint ventures. 2. The earlier ceiling on operator liability of ₹1,500 crore for reactors above 10 MW thermal power has been replaced by a graded ceiling ranging from ₹100 crore to ₹3,000 crore linked to thermal power capacity. 3. The operator's right of recourse against a supplier where the incident results from defective equipment or material, available under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, has been carried forward unchanged. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Whereas licences to handle prescribed substances and operate nuclear installations were earlier confined to central government entities and government companies, the position after 2025 extends eligibility to Indian private companies and to government-private joint ventures.
  2. The earlier ceiling on operator liability of ₹1,500 crore for reactors above 10 MW thermal power has been replaced by a graded ceiling ranging from ₹100 crore to ₹3,000 crore linked to thermal power capacity.
  3. The operator's right of recourse against a supplier where the incident results from defective equipment or material, available under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, has been carried forward unchanged.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. Which one of the following statements about the Department of Atomic Energy is correct?

  • A. It was set up in 1954 through a Presidential Order and functions under the direct charge of the Prime Minister.
  • B. It was set up in 1948 through a Presidential Order and functions under the direct charge of the Prime Minister.
  • C. It was set up in 1954 through a Presidential Order and functions under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
  • D. It was set up in 1962 under the Atomic Energy Act and functions under the Ministry of Power.

Q9. With reference to non-departmental and private participation in India's nuclear power sector, consider the following statements: 1. ASHVINI, a joint venture of NPCIL and NTPC, is implementing the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project. 2. The Mahi Banswara project comprises four units of 700 MW indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors. 3. Under the Bharat Small Reactor model, the private partner provides land, cooling water and capital, while NPCIL undertakes design, quality assurance and operation and maintenance. 4. Bharat Small Reactors are 220 MW Boiling Water Reactors adapted for deployment as captive plants near metal industries. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. ASHVINI, a joint venture of NPCIL and NTPC, is implementing the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project.
  2. The Mahi Banswara project comprises four units of 700 MW indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors.
  3. Under the Bharat Small Reactor model, the private partner provides land, cooling water and capital, while NPCIL undertakes design, quality assurance and operation and maintenance.
  4. Bharat Small Reactors are 220 MW Boiling Water Reactors adapted for deployment as captive plants near metal industries.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 3

Q10. Which one of the following statements regarding the entities that may develop nuclear power capacity in India is correct?

  • A. Nuclear power plants may be built, owned and operated by joint ventures of central public sector enterprises, as in the case of the Mahi Banswara project.
  • B. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited alone may own and operate nuclear power plants, and this position remains entirely unchanged.
  • C. State governments are barred under all circumstances from participating in nuclear power generation projects in India.
  • D. Every nuclear power project must necessarily be located at a greenfield site situated away from any existing power station.

Q11. Consider the following statements about India's operating nuclear power reactors: 1. At the Tarapur Atomic Power Station, the first two units are Boiling Water Reactors while the remaining two units are indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors. 2. The reactors at Kudankulam are Light Water Reactors set up with Russian collaboration, whereas the most recently commissioned unit at Rawatbhata is an indigenously designed 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor. 3. India's operating fleet of 24 reactors consists exclusively of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. At the Tarapur Atomic Power Station, the first two units are Boiling Water Reactors while the remaining two units are indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors.
  2. The reactors at Kudankulam are Light Water Reactors set up with Russian collaboration, whereas the most recently commissioned unit at Rawatbhata is an indigenously designed 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor.
  3. India's operating fleet of 24 reactors consists exclusively of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. The study reports on 'Scenarios Towards Viksit Bharat and Net Zero', which examine India's long-term energy transition pathways, were released by which one of the following?

  • A. NITI Aayog, the public policy think tank of the Government of India
  • B. The Central Electricity Authority under the Ministry of Power
  • C. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • D. The Department of Atomic Energy under the Prime Minister's charge