December 21, 2025 • 21 mins
First, The Indian Express' Amitabh Sinha talks about Parliament’s consideration of a rewrite of India’s nuclear power rulebook, a move that could change who builds and maintains nuclear power plants in the country.
Next, we speak to The Indian Express' Himanshu Harsh about a brutal assault in Bihar that began as a suspicion of theft, and ended in a man’s death. (12:35)
In the end, we take a look at data on political funding showing how corporate donations through electoral trusts surged this year. (18:15)
Hosted by Ichha Sharma
Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava, Niharika Nanda, and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Next, we speak to The Indian Express' Himanshu Harsh about a brutal assault in Bihar that began as a suspicion of theft, and ended in a man’s death. (12:35)
In the end, we take a look at data on political funding showing how corporate donations through electoral trusts surged this year. (18:15)
Hosted by Ichha Sharma
Written and produced by Shashank Bhargava, Niharika Nanda, and Ichha Sharma
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this episode, we talk about a brutal assault in
Bihar that began as a suspicion of theft and ended
in a man's death. We also take a look at
data on political funding, showing how corporate donations through electoral
trusts surged this year. But we begin today by talking
about Parliament's consideration of a rewrite of India's nuclear power
(00:21):
rule book, a move that could change who builds and
maintains nuclear power plants in the country. Hi, I'm Acha
Sharma and you're listening to three Things the Indian Express
New show. For more than six decades, nuclear power in
(00:44):
India has remained almost entirely under the control of the
central government. From uranium mining to react to operations, the
sector has been shaped by the belief that atomic energy,
because of both its civilian and military uses, must remain
insulated from pate and foreign involvement. But in Parliament last week,
the government introduced the Sustainable Harnessing an Advancement of Nuclear
(01:09):
Energy for Transforming India Bill of twenty twenty five short
for the Shanti Bill. This new umbrella law seeks to
overhaul how nuclear energy is regulated and expanded in the country.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
And it would be useful for us to sort of
understand that this is not the first time that a
law to regulate nuclear activities has been enacted in the country.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
This is the unexpresses Amitabsenha, who reports on nuclear affairs
for the newspaper.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
In fact, this is the third such law and this
time it replaces the previous existing laws that were there.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
So the bill replaces all existing laws that govern nuclear
power in the country, including the Civil Liability for Nuclear
Damage Act of twenty ten, which exposed nuclear equipment suppliers
to long term and uncertain liability in the event of
a nuclear accident.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
So this one sort of replaces all with an overarching
new law to regulate nuclear activities in the country. And
the big thing I think which our listeners might already
be aware of they would have read or heard about it.
The big change that it brings about is it allows
private companies, both domestic as well as foreign, to build, own,
(02:32):
operate and maintain nuclear power stations in India, which was
not allowed till now. Till now, only government owned companies
were allowed to build or own or operate nuclear power reactors.
But now even private companies both domestic and foreign companies
(02:52):
would be allowed to have a role and they would
be allowed to operate nuclear power stations.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Now the governments are human is anchored in urgency and scale.
India's electricity demand is rising. Cold remains the default source,
and wind and solar, even as they expand, cannot provide
round the clock.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Par So, at one level, why is nuclear energy required.
One of course, we are going through an energy transition globally.
We are in the process of replacing fossil fuel based
energy with clean sources of energy because of climate change reasons.
So all the fossil fuel based energy sources which we
(03:32):
are very familiar with, things like petrol or diesel or coal,
those are all fossil fuel based and when they are
burned to produce energy, they release a lot of carbon
dioxide which is leading to climate problems. I'm sure all
of our listeners are aware of this. So we need
to bring in we need to introduce cleaner sources of energy.
(03:52):
And amongst the cleaner sources of energy, the options that
you have, as you pointed out, is solar wind. There
are also other forms biomass and geothermal, and one of
the options is nuclear energy. Now one of the main
problems with solar and wind is that they are not constant.
So there is this concept of meeting a base load
(04:15):
demand in electricity distribution, so that you know, you have
to have a sort of a stable and reliable production
of electricity at all times. So for example, during night
solar would not produce electricity, So how do you meet
the nighttime demand? And that is the challenge that is
(04:35):
phased because unlike these clean sources, the fossil fuel sources
give you very reliable, uninterrupted and stable supply of electricity,
so you can burn cold anytime. You produce electricity the
way you want it in whatever amount you want. Similarly,
patrol or you know, you can use it whenever you want,
(04:56):
and you can burn these sources and whatever amount you want.
So what the amount of energy that you require is
easily available or is readily available if you have the sources.
But with renewables, especially solar and wind, they are not
always available. The nuclear addresses that problem because nuclear stations
(05:17):
can I mean they can be run like a coal
fired power station, which means you have a stable supply
of electricity. And that's why nuclear actually can do what
a coal fired power plant normally does. Provide a reliable, stable,
uninterrupted source of electricity. So that's why nuclear has a
(05:38):
very important role to play in this energy transition.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
At present, nuclear power accounts for only a fraction of
India's electricity mix. The government stated target is to rise
the installed capacity of nine gigawats to around one hundred
gigawarts by twenty forty seven, a more than ten fold
increase in just over two kides. And so, according to officials,
private participation is no longer optional.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
So in the fifties and nineteen eighty seven you had
the Department of Atomech Energy directly, you know, building and
operating these reactors. It was only in eighty seven that
you had the Department of ATOMEC Energy set up this
They created this fully funded government company called NPCIL Nuclear
(06:26):
Power Corporation of India Limited. So it took on since
nineteen eighty seven, NPCIL took on all the reactors and
after that whatever new reactors have been built, you know,
they have built the new reactors, they have been operating.
So NPCIL has become the operator. Between NPCIL and Havini,
both entirely government owned, they have been running all the
(06:47):
reactors that are operational in India right now. But over
the past few years, slowly through amendments to the nineteen
sixty two Act, this sector was slowly opened up for
other companies as well, companies but PSUs and slowly there
was this talk happening. It has been going on for
a quite some time that you will have to get
(07:08):
in private players as well if you want to ensure
a faster growth of nuclear energy. So it was not
entirely surprising. This talk about getting the private players to
build and operate nuclear power stations in India is something
that has been under consideration for a couple of decades. Now.
(07:29):
It's not completely out of the blue, so it's not
that radical that way. But yes, now that it has happened,
you know, earlier there was a lot of resistance, of course,
but now slowly. I think the the way government is
talking about it right now, the kind of growth that
they plan, obviously it cannot be done without the help
of the private sector.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
And Amathought tells us that besides encouraging private participation, the
bill also addresses a key sticking point supply a liability.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
So before twenty ten, we did not have a liability
regime with regard to nuclear energy. So what is a
liability regime? Basically, if something goes wrong with a nuclear
power station, if there is a nuclear accident, or even
an incident in which some damage is caused, either to life,
or if there is an economic loss whatever, So how
(08:19):
do you deal with it? And you know, there are
liability laws for all sorts of industrial accidents, industrial disasters.
I mean, liability in the nuclear sector is nothing unique,
It's not something special. The only thing is that a
nuclear accident potentially can have much greater consequences than any other,
(08:40):
you know, industrial disaster that ways, So a liability regime
is supposed to sort of compensate the victims for any
harm that has caused to them because of any accident.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
He says. It was nearly sixteen years ago that India
enacted a civil nuclear liability law in the aftermath of
the two thousand eight India US Civil Nuclear Agreement. The
law made operators primarily responsible for compensating victims, but it
also gave them a statutory right to recover damages from
equipment suppliers. This right of recourse was unusual by international
(09:16):
standards and became a major deterrent for foreign nuclear vendors.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
So that was one sort of hurdle that was seen
which was stopping the Indian nuclear sector from growing at
a fast pace. So basically, what this law has done
is has left it to the operator to deal with
its suppliers in the way it likes. So the law
itself does not give a right to the operator to
(09:45):
seek recourse. It says, no, it's your matter. You deal
with it the way you want it. If you want
your supplier to be liable, you get into a contract
with them and enforce that contract. That's fine. So that's
what this law does, and that's an important change. So
that was a sort of of a sticking point in
the twenty ten law which has now been remedied in
this particular thing. And this has been a sticking point
(10:07):
with a lot of private companies which were wanting to
come and participate in the Indian market but were wary
of doing so.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
And what's also important to note is that the bill
does not open every aspect of the nuclear sector.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
So a lot of things including uranium mining enrichment. So
enrichment is the process of making a non facile material
into a facile material. So basically conversion of uranium two
thirty eight, which is naturally occurring into uranium two thirty
five or other facile materials. So basically those kind of
activities uranium mining itself, enrichment activities, heavy water production, those
(10:44):
are the kind of activities that are still with the government.
Those areas have not been opened up for private parties,
mainly because these are sensitive for the reason that they
are dually use technologies. They are used for military purposes
as well. There are strategic reasons why you would not
want private parties to get into it, So those activities
have been kept out of private participation in this bill
(11:06):
as well.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Now, the bill also comes at a time of growing
global interest in nuclear energy as countries struggle to meet
climate targets. Government sources say sovereign wealth funds from West
Asia and other regions have already expressed interest in India's
nuclear expansion. However, the opposition and civil society groups argue
that nuclear energy carries risks that go far beyond commercial considerations,
(11:32):
risks that demand absolute public accountability.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
So there have been concerns and these are not new concerns.
Nuclear energy is a sensitive area. There's nothing new about it,
and there have been concerns that opening it up for
the private players might sort of compromise the safety or
integrity of nuclear materials. And there are questions over nuclear safety.
(11:58):
But I mean private layers have been operating nuclear power
plants across the world. I mean in the countries that
have nuclear power, United States, France. I mean it's not new.
India's not doing something new. So I mean the entry
of private players in a very strategic sector that has
been the main concern. Of course, there are no other
(12:21):
kind of concerns with related to him. It's mainly about
safety and integrity of nuclear materials, you know, getting access
to a very very strategic sector. That's the main problem.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
And next we turn to be high where. Earlier this month,
Muhammad ather Sen, a door to door clothes salesman, was
brutally assaulted by a group of men who allegedly mistook
him for a thief. The forty five year old Hussin
had been away from his hometown on a work trip,
and his family only learned about the attack when a
video began circulating showing a man who had been previously injured.
(13:00):
Hussin was rushed to the hospital after the incident and
fought for his life for six days before succumbing to
his injuries on the twelfth of December. The Indian Express
is Himanshu Harsh has been following the case for the
paper and he spoke to Michaelleaguehara Kananda about the matter.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Jim Anshu, what do we know about what happened when
Hussein was assaulted by this group of men?
Speaker 4 (13:22):
So Hussin was a door to door clothes seller and
on November twenty ninth, while he was on his round
in Nawada, his bicycle got punctured near Batapur village. His
family said that Adhar approached a group of men sitting
around fire, asking if there was a puncture repair shop nearby.
But the men, who were allegedly intoxicated, we can introgate
(13:43):
him him. Some started frisking and put out some money
from his pocket. They then stripped him, tied his limbs
and brutally assaulted him. The family even alice that they
beat him with the logs, burned him with his iron rod,
and subjected other forms of extreme torture, including electric shocks
and having his years cut with a plier.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Aimanshu, do we know who are these people who assaulted who?
Sent has an investigation began into the matter.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
So basically they are said to be the locals of
the Vata village in Nevada where the incident happened. As
far as the post martem, the police haven't shared it
with us or the family, so we don't have the
details how he died exactly, But I guess police will
solve this case in a few more days. And few
(14:34):
more people were involved in this case, so they're likely
to be yet arrested in the coming days. They have
even arrested nine people and retained two juveniles. They have
framed charges ranging from unlawful assembly and rioting and even
causing grevious harm and murder. Even organizations like jamaithol Mai
Hind have announced to offer a legal support to the family.
(14:57):
So we will see how this goes on.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Right, and tell us a bit about Hussein and his family.
What did you find out when you spoke to them?
Speaker 4 (15:08):
So he was forty five and he was working as
a clothes seller in Navada for around twenty years.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
His wife is from Navada.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
In fact, his in law's home was just a few
kilometers away from the spot where he got assaulted.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
So even Athar and his family.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
His wife, scham Nampervien and the three children had lived
in that area for a long time on rent, but
the family had recently moved back to Athur's native village
of Ghagandhwan in Biharsari district. Since he couldn't ride a motorcycle,
Atha had bought a second and bicycle to travel to
Navada and continue his work. His family said that Atha
(15:44):
himself was illiterate but wanted to give his children a
bitter future. Ada's wife also recalled that how he was
working very hard these days since he had taken some
loans to build his new home. The home was basically
a two room set and a kitchen, but Athur had
a few loans and he wanted to pay them off
as soon as possible, and he had dreams of a
(16:07):
better future for his children. But as soon as they
started feeling a little more secure, this tragedy turned everything
upside down.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
We understand that his family got to know about what
happened through a video. Were they able to meet him
before he passed away and what do they have to
say about what happened?
Speaker 4 (16:25):
So Athur's brother Mohammed Chand was the first to see
the video. He got a video from an acquaintance who
showed him and he quickly recognized the injured man as his.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
Brother and they to Nawada.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
They found ar Tha at a village in very critical condition.
Athar was able to talk to them and describe what happened,
describing every torture in detail. He was in hospital for
almost six days and passed on December twelfth in whims Powpuri,
where he was referred just a.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Few hours ago.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Initially, after they talked with Arthur, they're saying that the
allegedman first dropped him and then they tried to allegedly
frame him as a thief Animanshu.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Like you said, the police are still investigating the matter
and trying to determine the motive behind the crime, whether
it was an attempted robbery or whether it may also
have been communally motivated. But in the meantime, has the
state government extended any help or support to the family
and what has been their response.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
So the Bihar minority will fare.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Minister Mohamed Zama Khan he visited the family on Wednesday.
The family said that he promised further aid, providing an
initial twenty thousand and committing an additional three lack. The family, however,
feel that the money is an insufficient especially given the
debt Hussin had taken from work and to furnish their
home and expenses. The family will now face and Shavna
(17:51):
worries about the long term financial burden and is hoping
that the government will provide more substantial support, especially in
terms of job opportune it is for their elder son.
Raki Busen Zama Khan said that he's talking to the
government or the Concern Department and will look into the
matter how they can help the family, especially with the
jobs and all.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
And in the end, we take a look at a
new data that shows the total number of donations received
by political parties in the first financial year after the
Supreme Court scrapped the electoral bond scheme. Corporate donations to
political parties through electoral trusts rose sharply. In twenty twenty
four to twenty five, nine electoral trusts donated over three thousand,
(18:39):
eight hundred kro rupees to political parties, more than three
times the amount donated through this route in twenty twenty
three to twenty four. As reported by the Indian Expresses,
Domini nat Harrikishan Sharma and Jatin Aarnand. Contribution reports submitted
to the Election Commission of India show that the BJP
received three thousand, one hundred and twelve kro rupees, accounting
(19:00):
for about eighty two percent of the total donations made
by these trusts. The Congress received two hundred and ninety
nine krow rupees or just under eight percent, while all
other political parties together received around four hundred krow rupees
or about ten percent. For those who may not know,
electoral trusts remain a key but transparent channel of political funding,
(19:23):
as donors and recipients must be disclosed. This is different
from electoral bonds, which were struck down by the Supreme
Court in twenty twenty four for violating voter's right to information.
As of twentieth of December, contribution reports from thirteen of
the nineteen registered electoral trusts were available in the Election Commission.
Of these, nine trusts reported donations during the year, while
(19:45):
four Janhith Paribadpen Jehind and jeb Harat declared no contributions
in twenty twenty four and twenty five Pludent electoral trust
emerged as the single largest donor. It donated twenty six
hundred and sixty eight eight coro rupees during the year,
of which around twenty one hundred and eighty korro rupees
went to the BJB. The trust received funds from companies
(20:08):
including Jindel Steel and par Mega Engineering and Infrastructure, Barthiertel,
Urbindo Pharma and Torrent Pharmaceuticals. Although Prudent also donated to
the Congress, tmc ARP, TDP and other parties, the bulk
of its fund went to the BJP. Progressive Electoral Trust
collected nine hundred and seventeen krore and donated nine hundred
(20:30):
and fourteen coro rupees, with about eighty point eighty two
percent of the samant going to the BJP. Its contributors
include several Tata Group companies such as Tata Suns, Tata
Consultancy Services, Tata Steel, Tata Motors and Tata par. Other
trusts also showed a similar pattern. New Democratic Electoral Trust
donated one hundred and sixty kro rupees, of which one
(20:50):
hundred and fifty kro rupees went to the BJP. Triumph
Electoral Trust donated twenty one kro rupees to the BJP
out of a total of twenty five coroupees collected. How
many electoral trusts donated thirty point one five apiece to
the BJP, drawing most of its funds from Bharatfodge, Selloha
Advanced Materials and Khaliani Stale. John Pragati Electoral Trust donated
(21:13):
one coroupiece to Shivshina Yuwiti, funded entirely by KAC International.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
You were listening to.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Three Things by the Indian Express. Today's show was edited
and mixed by Sashavar and produced by Shishang Pargovnihara Kananda
and me Ichasharma. If you like the show, do subscribe
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(21:42):
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us at podcast at Indian Express dot com.
In this episode, we talk about a brutal assault in
Bihar that began as a suspicion of theft and ended
in a man's death. We also take a look at
data on political funding, showing how corporate donations through electoral
trusts surged this year. But we begin today by talking
about Parliament's consideration of a rewrite of India's nuclear power
(00:21):
rule book, a move that could change who builds and
maintains nuclear power plants in the country. Hi, I'm Acha
Sharma and you're listening to three Things the Indian Express
New show. For more than six decades, nuclear power in
(00:44):
India has remained almost entirely under the control of the
central government. From uranium mining to react to operations, the
sector has been shaped by the belief that atomic energy,
because of both its civilian and military uses, must remain
insulated from pate and foreign involvement. But in Parliament last week,
the government introduced the Sustainable Harnessing an Advancement of Nuclear
(01:09):
Energy for Transforming India Bill of twenty twenty five short
for the Shanti Bill. This new umbrella law seeks to
overhaul how nuclear energy is regulated and expanded in the country.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
And it would be useful for us to sort of
understand that this is not the first time that a
law to regulate nuclear activities has been enacted in the country.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
This is the unexpresses Amitabsenha, who reports on nuclear affairs
for the newspaper.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
In fact, this is the third such law and this
time it replaces the previous existing laws that were there.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
So the bill replaces all existing laws that govern nuclear
power in the country, including the Civil Liability for Nuclear
Damage Act of twenty ten, which exposed nuclear equipment suppliers
to long term and uncertain liability in the event of
a nuclear accident.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
So this one sort of replaces all with an overarching
new law to regulate nuclear activities in the country. And
the big thing I think which our listeners might already
be aware of they would have read or heard about it.
The big change that it brings about is it allows
private companies, both domestic as well as foreign, to build, own,
(02:32):
operate and maintain nuclear power stations in India, which was
not allowed till now. Till now, only government owned companies
were allowed to build or own or operate nuclear power reactors.
But now even private companies both domestic and foreign companies
(02:52):
would be allowed to have a role and they would
be allowed to operate nuclear power stations.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Now the governments are human is anchored in urgency and scale.
India's electricity demand is rising. Cold remains the default source,
and wind and solar, even as they expand, cannot provide
round the clock.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Par So, at one level, why is nuclear energy required.
One of course, we are going through an energy transition globally.
We are in the process of replacing fossil fuel based
energy with clean sources of energy because of climate change reasons.
So all the fossil fuel based energy sources which we
(03:32):
are very familiar with, things like petrol or diesel or coal,
those are all fossil fuel based and when they are
burned to produce energy, they release a lot of carbon
dioxide which is leading to climate problems. I'm sure all
of our listeners are aware of this. So we need
to bring in we need to introduce cleaner sources of energy.
(03:52):
And amongst the cleaner sources of energy, the options that
you have, as you pointed out, is solar wind. There
are also other forms biomass and geothermal, and one of
the options is nuclear energy. Now one of the main
problems with solar and wind is that they are not constant.
So there is this concept of meeting a base load
(04:15):
demand in electricity distribution, so that you know, you have
to have a sort of a stable and reliable production
of electricity at all times. So for example, during night
solar would not produce electricity, So how do you meet
the nighttime demand? And that is the challenge that is
(04:35):
phased because unlike these clean sources, the fossil fuel sources
give you very reliable, uninterrupted and stable supply of electricity,
so you can burn cold anytime. You produce electricity the
way you want it in whatever amount you want. Similarly,
patrol or you know, you can use it whenever you want,
(04:56):
and you can burn these sources and whatever amount you want.
So what the amount of energy that you require is
easily available or is readily available if you have the sources.
But with renewables, especially solar and wind, they are not
always available. The nuclear addresses that problem because nuclear stations
(05:17):
can I mean they can be run like a coal
fired power station, which means you have a stable supply
of electricity. And that's why nuclear actually can do what
a coal fired power plant normally does. Provide a reliable, stable,
uninterrupted source of electricity. So that's why nuclear has a
(05:38):
very important role to play in this energy transition.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
At present, nuclear power accounts for only a fraction of
India's electricity mix. The government stated target is to rise
the installed capacity of nine gigawats to around one hundred
gigawarts by twenty forty seven, a more than ten fold
increase in just over two kides. And so, according to officials,
private participation is no longer optional.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
So in the fifties and nineteen eighty seven you had
the Department of Atomech Energy directly, you know, building and
operating these reactors. It was only in eighty seven that
you had the Department of ATOMEC Energy set up this
They created this fully funded government company called NPCIL Nuclear
(06:26):
Power Corporation of India Limited. So it took on since
nineteen eighty seven, NPCIL took on all the reactors and
after that whatever new reactors have been built, you know,
they have built the new reactors, they have been operating.
So NPCIL has become the operator. Between NPCIL and Havini,
both entirely government owned, they have been running all the
(06:47):
reactors that are operational in India right now. But over
the past few years, slowly through amendments to the nineteen
sixty two Act, this sector was slowly opened up for
other companies as well, companies but PSUs and slowly there
was this talk happening. It has been going on for
a quite some time that you will have to get
(07:08):
in private players as well if you want to ensure
a faster growth of nuclear energy. So it was not
entirely surprising. This talk about getting the private players to
build and operate nuclear power stations in India is something
that has been under consideration for a couple of decades. Now.
(07:29):
It's not completely out of the blue, so it's not
that radical that way. But yes, now that it has happened,
you know, earlier there was a lot of resistance, of course,
but now slowly. I think the the way government is
talking about it right now, the kind of growth that
they plan, obviously it cannot be done without the help
of the private sector.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
And Amathought tells us that besides encouraging private participation, the
bill also addresses a key sticking point supply a liability.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
So before twenty ten, we did not have a liability
regime with regard to nuclear energy. So what is a
liability regime? Basically, if something goes wrong with a nuclear
power station, if there is a nuclear accident, or even
an incident in which some damage is caused, either to life,
or if there is an economic loss whatever, So how
(08:19):
do you deal with it? And you know, there are
liability laws for all sorts of industrial accidents, industrial disasters.
I mean, liability in the nuclear sector is nothing unique,
It's not something special. The only thing is that a
nuclear accident potentially can have much greater consequences than any other,
(08:40):
you know, industrial disaster that ways, So a liability regime
is supposed to sort of compensate the victims for any
harm that has caused to them because of any accident.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
He says. It was nearly sixteen years ago that India
enacted a civil nuclear liability law in the aftermath of
the two thousand eight India US Civil Nuclear Agreement. The
law made operators primarily responsible for compensating victims, but it
also gave them a statutory right to recover damages from
equipment suppliers. This right of recourse was unusual by international
(09:16):
standards and became a major deterrent for foreign nuclear vendors.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
So that was one sort of hurdle that was seen
which was stopping the Indian nuclear sector from growing at
a fast pace. So basically, what this law has done
is has left it to the operator to deal with
its suppliers in the way it likes. So the law
itself does not give a right to the operator to
(09:45):
seek recourse. It says, no, it's your matter. You deal
with it the way you want it. If you want
your supplier to be liable, you get into a contract
with them and enforce that contract. That's fine. So that's
what this law does, and that's an important change. So
that was a sort of of a sticking point in
the twenty ten law which has now been remedied in
this particular thing. And this has been a sticking point
(10:07):
with a lot of private companies which were wanting to
come and participate in the Indian market but were wary
of doing so.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
And what's also important to note is that the bill
does not open every aspect of the nuclear sector.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
So a lot of things including uranium mining enrichment. So
enrichment is the process of making a non facile material
into a facile material. So basically conversion of uranium two
thirty eight, which is naturally occurring into uranium two thirty
five or other facile materials. So basically those kind of
activities uranium mining itself, enrichment activities, heavy water production, those
(10:44):
are the kind of activities that are still with the government.
Those areas have not been opened up for private parties,
mainly because these are sensitive for the reason that they
are dually use technologies. They are used for military purposes
as well. There are strategic reasons why you would not
want private parties to get into it, So those activities
have been kept out of private participation in this bill
(11:06):
as well.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Now, the bill also comes at a time of growing
global interest in nuclear energy as countries struggle to meet
climate targets. Government sources say sovereign wealth funds from West
Asia and other regions have already expressed interest in India's
nuclear expansion. However, the opposition and civil society groups argue
that nuclear energy carries risks that go far beyond commercial considerations,
(11:32):
risks that demand absolute public accountability.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
So there have been concerns and these are not new concerns.
Nuclear energy is a sensitive area. There's nothing new about it,
and there have been concerns that opening it up for
the private players might sort of compromise the safety or
integrity of nuclear materials. And there are questions over nuclear safety.
(11:58):
But I mean private layers have been operating nuclear power
plants across the world. I mean in the countries that
have nuclear power, United States, France. I mean it's not new.
India's not doing something new. So I mean the entry
of private players in a very strategic sector that has
been the main concern. Of course, there are no other
(12:21):
kind of concerns with related to him. It's mainly about
safety and integrity of nuclear materials, you know, getting access
to a very very strategic sector. That's the main problem.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
And next we turn to be high where. Earlier this month,
Muhammad ather Sen, a door to door clothes salesman, was
brutally assaulted by a group of men who allegedly mistook
him for a thief. The forty five year old Hussin
had been away from his hometown on a work trip,
and his family only learned about the attack when a
video began circulating showing a man who had been previously injured.
(13:00):
Hussin was rushed to the hospital after the incident and
fought for his life for six days before succumbing to
his injuries on the twelfth of December. The Indian Express
is Himanshu Harsh has been following the case for the
paper and he spoke to Michaelleaguehara Kananda about the matter.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
Jim Anshu, what do we know about what happened when
Hussein was assaulted by this group of men?
Speaker 4 (13:22):
So Hussin was a door to door clothes seller and
on November twenty ninth, while he was on his round
in Nawada, his bicycle got punctured near Batapur village. His
family said that Adhar approached a group of men sitting
around fire, asking if there was a puncture repair shop nearby.
But the men, who were allegedly intoxicated, we can introgate
(13:43):
him him. Some started frisking and put out some money
from his pocket. They then stripped him, tied his limbs
and brutally assaulted him. The family even alice that they
beat him with the logs, burned him with his iron rod,
and subjected other forms of extreme torture, including electric shocks
and having his years cut with a plier.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Aimanshu, do we know who are these people who assaulted who?
Sent has an investigation began into the matter.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
So basically they are said to be the locals of
the Vata village in Nevada where the incident happened. As
far as the post martem, the police haven't shared it
with us or the family, so we don't have the
details how he died exactly, But I guess police will
solve this case in a few more days. And few
(14:34):
more people were involved in this case, so they're likely
to be yet arrested in the coming days. They have
even arrested nine people and retained two juveniles. They have
framed charges ranging from unlawful assembly and rioting and even
causing grevious harm and murder. Even organizations like jamaithol Mai
Hind have announced to offer a legal support to the family.
(14:57):
So we will see how this goes on.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Right, and tell us a bit about Hussein and his family.
What did you find out when you spoke to them?
Speaker 4 (15:08):
So he was forty five and he was working as
a clothes seller in Navada for around twenty years.
Speaker 5 (15:14):
His wife is from Navada.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
In fact, his in law's home was just a few
kilometers away from the spot where he got assaulted.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
So even Athar and his family.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
His wife, scham Nampervien and the three children had lived
in that area for a long time on rent, but
the family had recently moved back to Athur's native village
of Ghagandhwan in Biharsari district. Since he couldn't ride a motorcycle,
Atha had bought a second and bicycle to travel to
Navada and continue his work. His family said that Atha
(15:44):
himself was illiterate but wanted to give his children a
bitter future. Ada's wife also recalled that how he was
working very hard these days since he had taken some
loans to build his new home. The home was basically
a two room set and a kitchen, but Athur had
a few loans and he wanted to pay them off
as soon as possible, and he had dreams of a
(16:07):
better future for his children. But as soon as they
started feeling a little more secure, this tragedy turned everything
upside down.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
We understand that his family got to know about what
happened through a video. Were they able to meet him
before he passed away and what do they have to
say about what happened?
Speaker 4 (16:25):
So Athur's brother Mohammed Chand was the first to see
the video. He got a video from an acquaintance who
showed him and he quickly recognized the injured man as his.
Speaker 5 (16:36):
Brother and they to Nawada.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
They found ar Tha at a village in very critical condition.
Athar was able to talk to them and describe what happened,
describing every torture in detail. He was in hospital for
almost six days and passed on December twelfth in whims Powpuri,
where he was referred just a.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Few hours ago.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
Initially, after they talked with Arthur, they're saying that the
allegedman first dropped him and then they tried to allegedly
frame him as a thief Animanshu.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Like you said, the police are still investigating the matter
and trying to determine the motive behind the crime, whether
it was an attempted robbery or whether it may also
have been communally motivated. But in the meantime, has the
state government extended any help or support to the family
and what has been their response.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
So the Bihar minority will fare.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Minister Mohamed Zama Khan he visited the family on Wednesday.
The family said that he promised further aid, providing an
initial twenty thousand and committing an additional three lack. The family, however,
feel that the money is an insufficient especially given the
debt Hussin had taken from work and to furnish their
home and expenses. The family will now face and Shavna
(17:51):
worries about the long term financial burden and is hoping
that the government will provide more substantial support, especially in
terms of job opportune it is for their elder son.
Raki Busen Zama Khan said that he's talking to the
government or the Concern Department and will look into the
matter how they can help the family, especially with the
jobs and all.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
And in the end, we take a look at a
new data that shows the total number of donations received
by political parties in the first financial year after the
Supreme Court scrapped the electoral bond scheme. Corporate donations to
political parties through electoral trusts rose sharply. In twenty twenty
four to twenty five, nine electoral trusts donated over three thousand,
(18:39):
eight hundred kro rupees to political parties, more than three
times the amount donated through this route in twenty twenty
three to twenty four. As reported by the Indian Expresses,
Domini nat Harrikishan Sharma and Jatin Aarnand. Contribution reports submitted
to the Election Commission of India show that the BJP
received three thousand, one hundred and twelve kro rupees, accounting
(19:00):
for about eighty two percent of the total donations made
by these trusts. The Congress received two hundred and ninety
nine krow rupees or just under eight percent, while all
other political parties together received around four hundred krow rupees
or about ten percent. For those who may not know,
electoral trusts remain a key but transparent channel of political funding,
(19:23):
as donors and recipients must be disclosed. This is different
from electoral bonds, which were struck down by the Supreme
Court in twenty twenty four for violating voter's right to information.
As of twentieth of December, contribution reports from thirteen of
the nineteen registered electoral trusts were available in the Election Commission.
Of these, nine trusts reported donations during the year, while
(19:45):
four Janhith Paribadpen Jehind and jeb Harat declared no contributions
in twenty twenty four and twenty five Pludent electoral trust
emerged as the single largest donor. It donated twenty six
hundred and sixty eight eight coro rupees during the year,
of which around twenty one hundred and eighty korro rupees
went to the BJB. The trust received funds from companies
(20:08):
including Jindel Steel and par Mega Engineering and Infrastructure, Barthiertel,
Urbindo Pharma and Torrent Pharmaceuticals. Although Prudent also donated to
the Congress, tmc ARP, TDP and other parties, the bulk
of its fund went to the BJP. Progressive Electoral Trust
collected nine hundred and seventeen krore and donated nine hundred
(20:30):
and fourteen coro rupees, with about eighty point eighty two
percent of the samant going to the BJP. Its contributors
include several Tata Group companies such as Tata Suns, Tata
Consultancy Services, Tata Steel, Tata Motors and Tata par. Other
trusts also showed a similar pattern. New Democratic Electoral Trust
donated one hundred and sixty kro rupees, of which one
(20:50):
hundred and fifty kro rupees went to the BJP. Triumph
Electoral Trust donated twenty one kro rupees to the BJP
out of a total of twenty five coroupees collected. How
many electoral trusts donated thirty point one five apiece to
the BJP, drawing most of its funds from Bharatfodge, Selloha
Advanced Materials and Khaliani Stale. John Pragati Electoral Trust donated
(21:13):
one coroupiece to Shivshina Yuwiti, funded entirely by KAC International.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
You were listening to.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Three Things by the Indian Express. Today's show was edited
and mixed by Sashavar and produced by Shishang Pargovnihara Kananda
and me Ichasharma. If you like the show, do subscribe
to us wherever you get your podcasts. You can also
recommend it to someone you think may like it, with
a friend or in your family. This is the best
way for people to get to know about us. You
(21:42):
can also tweet us at Express podcast or write to
us at podcast at Indian Express dot com.
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