Nothing on nuclear deal done outside 4 corners of Indian law: Government

NEW DELHI: With questions being asked about the understanding reached on the nuclear deal with the US during President Barack Obama's visit last month, India today maintained nothing has been done outside the "four corners of the Indian law".

"Let me assure you that when we arrived at the understanding with the US, we did so within the four corners of our law, international practice and our own bilateral agreement that we have agreed to..." Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry Syed Akbaruddin said.

He also noted that the government will come out with a detailed response or 'FAQ' (frequently asked questions) soon in the matter which needs to be legally checked.

Noting that the impact on the operator was "very small" as per the international liability risk management, the Spokesperson asserted, "the question does not arise that the operator will bear the brunt of the cost because that is not what are international best practices and that is not what India will follow."

Immediately after India and the US announced the "breakthrough" in the seven-year-old nuclear logjam after the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Obama on January 25, there were questions raised about the assurance given by the Indian side on contentious liability issue, which had been a major concern of the US companies.

After India had passed domestic nuclear liability law in 2010, the foreign suppliers of nuclear reactors including the US had expressed concerns over what they interpreted as unlimited financial burden under the legislation. However, to address this, India has agreed to set up an insurance pool of Rs 1500 crore to offset foreign supplier's financial burden.

Congress party has been demanding that the government should make public the details of the understanding reached with the US on nuclear deal. Some commentators have argued that liability has been entirely passed on the operator, and in this case since all the nuclear power plants in the country are run by the government-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), it would mean that Indian exchequer will bear the brunt.