India’s nuclear regulator comes under fire

Nature : India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been criticized for its lack of authority to make rules, enforce compliance, or impose penalties on the country’s 22 operating nuclear plants and other radiation sources. The board’s problems were enumerated in a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. In addition, the report says, the AERB has no finalized safety policy, has delayed adoption of international benchmarks for nuclear safety, and has not undergone external peer review by the International Atomic Energy Agency. While a protest group, the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy, has called for the closure of the AERB and a moratorium on all nuclear activity, a bill before Parliament proposes the creation of an independent agency to better regulate India’s nuclear industry.