NEW DELHI (TIP): The government on Thursday reiterated that no clause connected to the amount of compensation under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act was waived off in the recent India-US agreement during US President Barack Obama‘s visit. Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj told Rajya Sabha that Rs 1,500 crore was meant for “immediate compensation” of victims in case of a nuclear accident through the nuclear insurance pool, but the amount was “not the outer limit”.
She said the CLND Act prescribes that the maximum amount of liability in respect of each nuclear incident shall be the rupee equivalent of 300 million Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), which amounts to around Rs 2,610 crore at present.
India will also be able to access international funds under the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) once it is a party to that convention. Moreover, Swaraj said the government could also notify a higher amount if required