which would help these private companies in getting insurance cover in their home state. Thus, the bill helped in the realization of the Indo-U.S. Nuclear deal. Another motive for the bill was to legally and financially bind the operator and the government to provide relief to the affected population in the case of a nuclear accident. In consideration of the long-term costs related to clean-up and shut-down activities if a nuclear accident were to occur, prominent members of the civil society in India had called on the Government and political parties to hold nuclear suppliers responsible and liable for nuclear accidents. Advances in nuclear technology have significantly reduced the probability of a nuclear catastrophe and is considered an environment friendly and sustainable source of energy. However, it is still necessary to keep in mind the negative aspects of the nuclear energy and measures must be taken for its peaceful use. However the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster have created once again a debate in India (and the world over) over the destructive nature of nuclear energy. A major point of debate was the amount of financial assistance to be provided under such circumstances as it was considered insufficient and unsatisfactory. Other than that, the bill contained certain clauses which if implemented would let free the manufacturer and supplier legally and to a large extent financially as well. The Atomic Energy Act, 1962 empowers the Government to produce, develop, use and dispose of atomic energy either by itself or through any authority or Corporation established by it or a Government company. In this regard, an indigenous sequential three-stage nuclear power programme based on optimum utilization of the country's nuclear resources of modest uranium and abundant thorium is being pursued. Large capacity nuclear power reactors based on foreign cooperation are also being implemented as additionalities, for faster capacity addition. Criticism Clause 6 Clause 6 defines the share of financial liability. It states that the liability of an operator for each nuclear incident shall be: (a) for nuclear reactors having power equal to 10 MW or above Rs. 1,500 crores (i.e. Rupees 15 billion) (b) in respect of spent fuel reprocessing plants, rupees three hundred crores (c) in respect of the research reactors having thermal power below ten MW, fuel facilities other than spent fuel reprocessing plants and transportation of nuclear materials, Rupees one hundred crores (Rupees 1 billion). However, the Central government may