Nuclear (con)fusion

The sudden listing of amendments in the Atomic Energy Act 1962 in the Cabinet agenda came as a surprise to many ministers last week. But equally baffling was its dropping from the agenda at the eleventh hour. A Cabinet minister later explained that the matter was dumped as it would have confused people, what with the Left and the BJP looking for something like an Indian Hyde Act through amendments in the Atomic Energy Act and fervent curiosity in the private sector whether they would be allowed to produce nuclear energy through these amendments. As the proposed changes did not address any of these concerns, it was decided to leave it aside for the moment.