Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari has referred the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests.
The committee is chaired by T. Subbarami Reddy.
As per the Rajya Sabha notification, the Chairman referred the Bill to a panel under the upper House “in consultation” with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
As per procedure, the Speaker sends a communication to the Chairman of Rajya Sabha about a Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha for it to be referred to a panel serviced by the upper House.
Bills relating to the Department of Atomic Energy are referred to the Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests under the Rajya Sabha.
The panel was constituted on August 31, 2009.
The Bill that was introduced in the Lok Sabha on the last day of the just-concluded budget session amid protests by the Opposition parties, provides for payment of compensation in the event of a nuclear accident, which is a pre-requisite to operationalise the India-U.S. nuclear agreement.
The Rajya Sabha notification said the committee would examine and give its recommendations within two months.
