The Centre on Wednesday said it is not averse to raising the compensation cap of Rs 500 crore under the Nuclear Liability Bill.
Union law minister M Veerappa Moily said the government would hold discussions with the BJP and Left parties which had opposed this cap. ?It?s not an unreasonable demand. We can look to raise the cap, after having discussions,? he said.
The Bill proposed a compensation cap of Rs 500 crore on nuclear operators while the overall liability was capped at Rs 2,200 crore. The BJP and the Left objected to this, claiming that the move would burden the tax payers while giving an undue advantage to private suppliers and operators.
On March 15, the opposition parties had forced the government to decide against introduction of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, stating that it would benefit foreign suppliers of nuclear reactors, particularly from the US.
?The government is ready to have discussions with the opposition parties to clear misconceptions about the Bill,? Moily said. ?The UPA and Congress still believe that we should have some discussions over this matter (the proposed legislation), take everybody on board and get it passed,? Moily added.