The United States has said that India is committed to the Nuclear Liabilities Bill and it was up to the United Progressive Alliance government to figure out how to move forward in the wake of the Opposition's objections to some aspects of the controversial legislation.
The stalled bill, whose passage in Parliament is a must, is a crucial step for the full implementation of the historic Indo-US civil nuclear deal.
"In all of our conversations with the Indian government, they have consistently said that they remain committed to fulfilling this commitment under the civil nuclear deal, to pass the civil liability legislation," said Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake.
He said the US was fully committed in implementing the civil nuclear deal signed with India. "I think the opposition in India has recently expressed its objections to aspects of that legislation, so it will be up to the government of India to figure out how to move forward on this. But again, they've always said to us that they remain committed to moving that legislation," he said.
The government is facing stiff resistance from opposition parties over the legislation and has indicated its willingness to hold talks with them. The Bharatiya Janata Party and Left parties have blocked the introduction of the bill in the Lok Sabha, saying the nuclear plant operators were being let off with a meagre liability in the event of accidents.
However, the government says the civil liability on the operator stipulated in the Nuclear Damage Bill has not been capped at Rs 500 crore and that the amount can be enhanced.
The amount was specified in the bill to enable the operator to get insurance cover as it could not be open-ended, sources had said. The US official's comment also comes four days after the two countries clinched a reprocessing agreement.
on, Apr 2 (PTI)
The United States has said that India is committed to the Nuclear Liabilities Bill and it was up to the United Progressive Alliance government to figure out how to move forward in the wake of the Opposition's objections to some aspects of the controversial legislation.
The stalled bill, whose passage in Parliament is a must, is a crucial step for the full implementation of the historic Indo-US civil nuclear deal.
"In all of our conversations with the Indian government, they have consistently said that they remain committed to fulfilling this commitment under the civil nuclear deal, to pass the civil liability legislation," said Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake e.
He said the US was fully committed in implementing the civil nuclear deal signed with India. "I think the opposition in India has recently expressed its objections to aspects of that legislation, so it will be up to the government of India to figure out how to move forward on this. But again, they've always said to us that they remain committed to moving that legislation," he said.
The government is facing stiff resistance from opposition parties over the legislation and has indicated its willingness to hold talks with them. The Bharatiya Janata Party and Left parties have blocked the introduction of the bill in the Lok Sabha, saying the nuclear plant operators were being let off with a meagre liability in the event of accidents.
However, the government says the civil liability on the operator stipulated in the Nuclear Damage Bill has not been capped at Rs 500 crore and that the amount can be enhanced.
The amount was specified in the bill to enable the operator to get insurance cover as it could not be open-ended, sources had said. The US official's comment also comes four days after the two countries clinched a reprocessing agreement.
