Trade unions, farmers’ outfits demand withdrawal of SHANTI Bill

The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, passed in both Houses of Parliament during the Winter Session, will dismantle India’s carefully built nuclear safety and accountability framework and opens the most hazardous energy sector to large-scale private and foreign participation, the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), the platform of 10 central trade unions and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) said here in a joint statement on Thursday (December 16, 2025).

They said the existing Atomic Energy Act ensured strict public control over civilian nuclear activities due to their strategic and catastrophic risks. “The SHANTI Bill replaces this with a profit-driven licensing regime, opening major segments of the nuclear value chain to private operators. This marks a decisive shift towards privatisation of nuclear operations while putting the entire burden of risks over the people and the nation,” the trade unions and farmers’ outfits said and their constituents would demonstrate at all workplaces and villages on December 23, opposing the “draconian” SHANTI Bill.

Privatisation of electricity

The organisations are also running a joint campaign against the the privatisation of electricity and the Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 across the country in January and February, 2026. The campaign will also demand immediate withdrawal of the proposed amendments to the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability of Nuclear Damage Act. Immediate stoppage of the installation of prepaid smart meters, withdrawal of all existing privatisation or franchisee models in generation, transmission, and distribution, namely in Chandigarh, Delhi, and Odisha, immediate cessation of privatisation attempts of power distribution companies in Uttar Pradesh, restoration of stringent liability provisions, including the operator’s right of recourse, the creation of a truly independent nuclear regulatory authority, the strengthening of environmental and labour protections, and clear parliamentary control over foreign involvement and strategic aspects of nuclear activities are the other demands.