‘Open mind’ on N-liability bill, ready to modify: PM

New Delhi ,March 31: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said his government had an “open mind” and was ready to “discuss and consider” any “deficiency” in the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill. The main Opposition BJP and the Left parties have so far expressed reservations on a clause in the proposed legislation which caps the liability amount at Rs 500 crores.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the civil investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Dr Singh said the bill will be introduced in Parliament and could be referred to a standing committee where “divergent opinions” can be addressed.
“We will present it to Parliament. It should go to the parliamentary standing committee, where all divergent opinions can be resolved,” he said when asked about the fate of the contentious bill which is crucial for operationalisation of the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement.
The bill was to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 15, but the government decided against it at the last moment in view of stiff opposition by the BJP and Left parties over the clause capping operators’ liability at Rs 500 crores.
“We have an open mind. If there are some deficiencies, we will discuss and consider,” the Prime Minister said.
Responding to queries on the revival of the National Advisory Council, chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Prime Minister said it would bring a “new dimension” to the working of his government. He said he was confident that the advisory body would be able to provide “very important inputs” to the government, and added: “It will help us better in gauging the pulse of the people.”
Mrs Gandhi is likely to decide on the names of the council’s members in the next few days, and the advisory body is expected to guide the government by giving a boost to key programmes such as the proposed Food Security Bill, the Communal Violence Bill and the proposed nationwide law on health and water.
Age Correspondent
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India wants to talk to Iran on pipeline again
Cancun, March 31: Seeking to revive talks that have been on freeze for almost three years, India on Wednesday proposed a fresh dialogue with the Iranian government to discuss impediments in implementation of the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project.
Petroleum minister Murli Deora met Iran’s deputy minister for international affairs H. Noghrehkar Shirazi on the sidelines of the 12th International Energy Forum here to propose bilateral talks in May.
    —PTI