U.S. wants India’s nuclear norms globally aligned, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• U.S. President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), advising alignment of India's nuclear liability rules with international norms.
• The NDAA 2026 focuses on assessing the implementation of the 2008 Indo-U.S. nuclear deal and aligning India's nuclear liability rules.
• India's Parliament recently cleared the SHANTI Bill, which allows private participation in India’s nuclear sector and caps operator liability at ₹3,000 crore.
• The SHANTI Bill aligns India closer to international conventions on nuclear damage liability.

Detailed Insights:

• The NDAA is an annual U.S. law that determines the budget and expenditures of the Department of Defense.
• The SHANTI Bill repeals existing legislation governing nuclear activity, encouraging private and foreign funding in India's nuclear sector.
• The SHANTI Bill removes links to 'supplier liability', a controversial clause that has previously hindered foreign participation in India's nuclear sector.
• Opposition parties criticize the SHANTI Bill, claiming it was passed to favor vendors and aligns with U.S. interests, weakening supplier liability provisions.
• The Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage are key international agreements related to nuclear liability.
• The 2008 Indo-U.S. nuclear deal aimed to enhance cooperation on nuclear energy, including technology transfer and safeguards.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Nuclear Liability: Legal responsibility for damages resulting from a nuclear incident.
• Supplier Liability: The responsibility of the supplier of nuclear components in case of an accident.
• Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal: A bilateral agreement for cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear energy.