The Standing Committee of Parliament on Rural Development has unanimously recommended substantial changes in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011.

The panel adopted its report here on Tuesday, which is likely to be tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: The e-waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011 will come into effect from Tuesday. The rules were notified in May 2011 and aim at reduction in the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment by specifying threshold for use of hazardous material including lead, mercury and cadmium.

These rules were notified in advance to give the various stakeholders adequate time to prepare themselves and also to put in place the required infrastructure.

The Union government will have to amend the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, to divest its stakes in the Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) which is engaged in increasing its capacity addition to 63,000 Mw by 2032 from the present 4,780 Mw. The state-owned entity’s authorised capital is Rs 15,000 crore, while the share capital is worth Rs 10,000 crore.

According to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, a government company is one where the central government holds not less than 51 per cent of the paid-up share capital.

While private players may not be allowed in as operators of nuclear projects in the country anytime soon, there is increased private sector play across equipment packages in case of new atomic power projects being set up in the country. These include participation in critical equipment such as the manufacture of reactor vessels or calandria, endshields and primary piping.

A Bill aimed at establishing a legal framework to address nuclear safety issues and set up an autonomous atomic energy watchdog was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, 2011, introduced by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Mr V Narayanasamy, provides for the creation of a Council for Nuclear Safety, headed by the Prime Minister, to oversee and review policies relating to radiation safety.

The Centre plans to amend the Atomic Energy Act to acquire land in and around the world’s biggest nuclear plant in the works at Jaitapur, where protests have stalled the land acquisition process.
The proposed draft has a new Section 2, in Clause 19, that would allow the Centre to merely issue an order barring landowners from “use and enjoyment” of their land proximate to any nuclear research, production or disposal facility to ensure unhindered access.

Mahesh Kulkarni / Bangalore September 1, 2010, 0:38 IST

For the first time after settling their family dispute and withdrawing the non-compete clause in May, brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani are again competing face-to-face, in a bid for the Rs 7,500-crore, 1,320-Mw thermal power project at Gulbarga in north Karnataka.