Modi's New Nuclear Law Will Exempt US Nuclear Vendors from Liability in the Event of an Accident; Govt Uses 'RAM' to Dilute MGNREGS

A newsletter from The Wire | Founded by Sidharth Bhatia, Siddharth Varadarajan, Sushant Singh, Seema Chishti, MK Venu, Pratik Kanjilal and Tanweer Alam | Contributing writer: Kalrav Joshi, with additional inputs by Anirudh SK

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Snapshot of the day

December 15, 2025

Siddharth Varadarajan

The Modi government has introduced a bill that will overhaul the functioning and regulation of the nuclear sector, paving the way for the entry of the private sector and scrapping the existing legal framework for accident compensation to fully exempt the suppliers of nuclear reactors from any liability for faulty equipment and operators from any tort claims by the victims of a nuclear accident. Once passed, the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, will replace the Atomic Energy Act of 1971 and Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010 (CLNDA). The US nuclear industry has been lobbying for years against the CLNDA, demanding that nuclear suppliers be protected from any claims for compensation in the event of an accident. It seems in 2025 they will finally have their way.

Foreign embassies have, for the first time ever, issued advisories warning their citizens about air pollution in India. Singapore, the United Kingdom and Canada alerted travellers to the worsening air quality in northern India, as Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reached severe and severe-plus levels on Monday with residents waking up to dense toxic smog.

Singapore has asked its nationals to keep an eye on flight cancellations, which have become widespread due to the smog affecting visibility. The United Kingdom’s foreign office and Canada highlighted that pregnant women and people with heart or respiratory conditions should consult a doctor before travelling to India, citing pollution in the winter months