India's Nuclear Energy Bill 2025 Advances in Legislative Process

Union Minister Jitendra Singh has announced significant advancements in the Nuclear Energy Bill 2025, which is currently undergoing processing and legal compliance checks. The bill aims to enhance India's nuclear capabilities, including the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). With a budget allocation of ₹20,000 crores, the government plans to operationalize indigenously developed SMRs by 2033. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is already working on several reactor designs, indicating a strong commitment to advancing nuclear energy in India. Read on to learn more about the implications and future of nuclear energy in the country.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 4, 2025, 14:47 IST

Progress on the Nuclear Energy Bill 2025

On Thursday, Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister for Science and Technology, announced that the draft of the Nuclear Energy Bill 2025 is currently in an advanced stage of processing and preparation. This phase includes reviews and comments from various ministries, along with legal compliance checks being conducted by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The minister informed that the specific aspects of the bill are being appropriately integrated before presenting the government's policy directives for approval. On December 3, MP Mallu Ravi raised questions in the Lok Sabha regarding the status of collaboration in the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and the current state of India's nuclear energy mission.

In response, Minister Singh highlighted a meeting between the Department of Atomic Energy and Russia's Rosatom, which focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in the nuclear sector. This includes the development of projects for both large and small-scale nuclear power plants and collaboration in the nuclear fuel cycle.

He emphasized the importance of localizing equipment production in India, mentioning that one of the new areas of discussion for collaboration involves the construction of Russian-designed SMRs in the country. The government has allocated ₹20,000 crores in the 2025-26 budget for the design, development, and installation of SMRs, aiming to operationalize indigenously developed SMRs by 2033.

Furthermore, the minister stated that funding has been allocated for the research and development of a 200 MW Indian Small Modular Reactor under the nuclear energy mission, which is currently in advanced stages of administrative and financial approval. According to him, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has initiated the development and design work for three SMRs, including the 200 MW BSMR-200, 55 MW SMR-55, and a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor capable of producing hydrogen up to 5 MW.