Under PM Nehru, India's first Atomic Energy Act, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• In late 2025, Parliament passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India law, opening the atomic energy sector to private players.
• The new law replaces the original atomic energy legislation from 1948, which had established government monopoly over the sector.
• The Bill's passage involved 11 hours of debate with the participation of 64 MPs, despite calls for scrutiny by a parliamentary standing committee.
• India currently has 24 nuclear reactors operated by NPCIL, generating a total capacity of 8,180 megawatts of electricity.

Detailed Insights:

• The 1948 Atomic Energy Act, piloted by PM Nehru, mirrored British law, placing all aspects of nuclear energy under government control to preserve mineral deposits and enable international cooperation.
• The Constituent Assembly debated the original Bill for less than two hours, with members raising concerns about state monopoly, secrecy, and the focus on control over development.
• The US Congress was the first to establish a nuclear energy regulatory framework in 1946, transferring control from military to civilian authority via the Atomic Energy Commission.
• Post-Independence, India's Constituent Assembly designated atomic energy and related mineral resources as the responsibility of the central government.
• The princely state of Travancore possessed significant Monazite reserves, and the government intervened to prevent large-scale exports to Britain before Independence.
• Over time, parliamentary oversight of atomic energy increased, with MPs like Meghnad Saha questioning delays in nuclear reactor development and financial committees highlighting planning issues.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Monazite: A reddish-brown mineral containing rare-earth elements like thorium and uranium, crucial for atomic energy.
• Atomic Energy Commission: A governmental organization responsible for regulating and overseeing nuclear activities.
• Nuclear Reactor: A device in which a controlled nuclear chain reaction releases energy, typically for electricity generation.