New Delhi: Will it redraw the map as intended? A new Bill doing the rounds in Parliament is quietly testing India’s ability to break old policy habits in the nuclear and science sectors.
The SHANTI Bill, Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said, could emerge as one of the most consequential reforms of the Modi government under Modi 3.0.
The Minister said the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is defined by structural reforms that place science, innovation and entrepreneurship at the centre of decision-making.
“This Bill pulls science into the reform space and links it directly with industry, business and the economy, breaking a nuclear policy deadlock that lasted more than six decades,” he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the SHANTI Bill opens the nuclear sector for expanded civilian use in clean power generation, research and healthcare, while keeping safety, sovereignty and peaceful intent non-negotiable.
He reiterated that India’s nuclear programme, from the time of Dr Homi Bhabha, has always focused on development, energy security and public welfare.
Putting figures on record, the Minister said India’s nuclear power capacity has grown from about 4.4 gigawatts in 2014 to nearly 8.7 gigawatts at present. He said the government aims to scale this up to around 100 gigawatts by 2047, enabling nuclear power to meet nearly 10 percent of the country’s electricity needs and support the Net Zero goal.
He also pointed to the limits of renewables for a technology-heavy economy, saying nuclear energy is essential for reliable round-the-clock power for AI, quantum computing and data infrastructure.
The Minister added that nuclear science is increasingly contributing to healthcare, especially cancer diagnosis and treatment, and that Small Modular Reactors are planned for urban clusters and industrial corridors.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the wide acceptance of the SHANTI Bill by scientists, industry and startups signals a shift in thinking on nuclear policy. He said the Bill reflects Modi 3.0’s reform-first approach, where long-pending science reforms are being pushed despite political sensitivities.
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