US `pleased` with Indian move to proceed with N-liability bill

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Mar 13 (PTI) The Obama Administration has
said it is "pleased" with the Indian government's decision to
go ahead with a bill on nuclear liability in Parliament,
describing it as a key move in implementation of the Indo-US
civil nuclear deal.
"We were very gratified to learn ... (about) India's
intention to introduce this bill in the current session of the
Indian Parliament," Assistant Secretary of State for South and
Central Asia, Robert Blake, told the popular Japanese
newspaper 'Asahi Shimbun' in an interview.
The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010, which
addresses the issue of liability of private operators of
nuclear plants, is expected to be introduced in Lok Sabha on
Monday. It pegs the maximum amount of liability in case of
each nuclear accident at Rs 300 crore to be paid by the
operator of the nuclear plant.
"...we are pleased with (the decision to introduce the
bill in Parliament) that and we'll be following
the progress of that legislation very closely. And, the
ultimate goal of ours is, of course, to allow the export of
nuclear reactors to India. As you know, the Indians have set
aside two nuclear reactor park sites, in the states of Gujarat
and Andhra Pradesh," he said.
Up to eight reactors could be located in each of those
parks that represent significant export of American technology
and also a source of jobs for the US to help its economic
recovery, he said. (More) PTI