ANNOUNCEMENTS
India has an ambitious Nuclear Energy Program. India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) contours its intent to increase the country’s clean-energy capacity. Subsequent to India’s waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group, its agreement with the global atomic body IAEA and Civil Nuclear Agreements with 14 countries have resulted in exponential growth plans in the last decade. Against this backdrop, it is crucial that the people need to be sensitised on nuclear energy for them to understand its role in meeting the development needs of the country.
The big challenge is gaining public confidence and understanding public perception through stakeholder engagement and public participation. Public participation is an essential tool for implementing Sustainable Development principles and strengthening democracy at the local level. It has been recognised as international law in the Rio Declaration of 1992, the Aarhus Convention of 1998, the Convention on Nuclear Safety of 1994, and the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management of 1997.
In India, a well-established legal and policy framework for public participation exists. The judicial pronouncements have emphasised the critical role of public consultation and participation as a part of environmental impact assessment. In the background of the existing literature, this thesis has assessed the role of public participation in India’s nuclear energy policy-forming and implementation process.
The national and international legal and policy framework on Public Participation in Nuclear Energy has been evaluated against the data gathered through fieldwork from Gorakhpur (Haryana) and Rawatbhata (Rajasthan). The primary focus during data collection was on the elements of representativeness, transparency, public perception, stage of involvement, access to information, the impact of stakeholders on the decision-making process and the role of internet tools for public participation. By encouraging informed stakeholder engagement, this thesis proposes a technologically progressive and socially responsible strategy essential for advancing nuclear energy in a manner that respects local values, preserves human rights and addresses long-term environmental objectives of sustainable development.
Key Words of the Research: Nuclear Energy, Public Participation, Environmental Impact Assessment, Stakeholders, International Environmental Law.
