Nuke liability bill to be tabled in LS on Wed

The Nuclear Liability Bill will be taken up in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, the day Parliament will resume after a three-day recess.

Government sources said that the bill, to which the Union Cabinet had on Friday approved 18 changes as per the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, would be brought in the Lower House.

The changes included a three-fold hike in the liability from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,500 crore. Sources said that no decision has so far been taken on the timing of the MPs' salary bill as it has to be passed by the Cabinet afresh if the government accepts the demand of the Opposition and hikes the amount beyond Rs 50,000.

According to reports, the salary could be raised to Rs 65,000 per month, which is less than the Rs 80,000 proposed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee but more than the Rs 50,000 which was approved by the Cabinet, but was opposed by a section of the Opposition.

Sources said that tabling of the Enemy Property Bill could take a while as the Bharatiya Janata Party has objected to certain clauses and the issue is yet to be resolved.

The sources maintained that the decision to extend the timing of the Lok Sabha by two days will be taken in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee to be held on Friday.