Nuclear Energy

nuclear trade with the world. The reality is, India is under no obligation to enact a liability law or
become a signatory to an international liability convention to become eligible for engaging in
nuclear trade with other countries. For instance, Russia has refused to pass legislation to waive or
cap accident liability for its foreign suppliers. While many countries have liability laws, the
powerful World Nuclear Association – the lobbying arm of 180 nuclear firms, including GE,
Westinghouse and Areva – admits, “States with a majority of the world’s 440 nuclear power
reactors are not yet party to any international nuclear liability convention, relying on their own
arrangements.” cdlx
US-Russia still not happy
According to newsreports, both the USA and Russia are not happy with the Liability Law
approved by the Indian Parliament. They want that India's nuclear liability regime to channel
“absolute and exclusive liability to nuclear power plant operators”, even if the accident occurred
due to negligence on the part of the foreign supplier! cdlxi As mentioned above, India's Liability
Law allows for the Indian operator to sue the foreign supplier in case the accident occurred due to
defective equipment supplied by the latter.
Both the US nuclear industry and the Obama administration have mounted pressure on the
Indian government to either make amendments to the Law, or find some way to circumvent it.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the US government, recognising the difficulty of the Indian
government in sending the freshly passed Law back to the Parliament for an amendment, is trying
for a government-to-government agreement with India that could take precendence over the
Law. cdlxii Considering the extent to which the Indian government is surrendering to imperialist,
especially US corporate interests, it is certain that very soon, as soon as the political atmosphere in
Delhi gets more congenial, the Indian government will take steps to address US concerns.
The bloodthirsty imperialists are not satisfied if you just bow before them. They want you
to show your absolute submission by doing a sastanga dandavat, that is, pay obeisance by lying
down flat on the ground.
To Conclude...
As we have argued elsewhere, India’s ruling classes have totally divorced themselves from
the people of the country. The country is now being run solely to maximise the profits of foreign
multinationals and their Indian collaborators. cdlxiii The nuclear policy of the government of India is
just another instance of this betrayal…
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