Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
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Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
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Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

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    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr6800d72b00422-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr6800d72b00422-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr6800d72b00422-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr6800d72b00422-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr6800d72b00422-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr6800d72b00422-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr6800d72b00422-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr6800d72b00422-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
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		&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;CAG criticizes atomic energy regulator over policy gaps-Jacob P Koshy&#039;,
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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.
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This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.
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Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.
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&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
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The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;
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To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.
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In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
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CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;
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A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.
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Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.
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&lt;br /&gt;
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CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.
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Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &amp;ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&amp;rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&amp;rsquo;t threatening.&amp;rdquo;
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Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &amp;ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&amp;rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&amp;rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.
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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





This is...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;-Live Mint&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. 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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.
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This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.
&lt;/div&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
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The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;
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&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &amp;ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&amp;rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&amp;rsquo;t threatening.&amp;rdquo;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &amp;ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&amp;rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&amp;rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.
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-Live Mint





The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





This is...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;-Live Mint&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &amp;ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&amp;rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&amp;rsquo;t threatening.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &amp;ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&amp;rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&amp;rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





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                <strong>CAG criticizes atomic energy regulator over policy gaps-Jacob P Koshy</strong></h1>
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                <div style="text-align: justify">-Live Mint</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">&ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The authors of the report rue that AERB has &ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">To be sure, CAG isn&rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">A senior AERB official said that though he&rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no document that says &lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&rsquo;t threatening.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.</div>               </font>
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-Live Mint
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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.
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This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.
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Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.
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&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
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The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;
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To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.
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In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
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CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;
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A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.
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Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.
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&lt;br /&gt;
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CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.
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&lt;br /&gt;
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Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &amp;ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&amp;rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&amp;rsquo;t threatening.&amp;rdquo;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &amp;ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&amp;rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&amp;rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.
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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





This is...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;-Live Mint&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &amp;ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&amp;rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&amp;rsquo;t threatening.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &amp;ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&amp;rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&amp;rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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	&#039;id&#039; =&gt; (int) 16598,
	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;CAG criticizes atomic energy regulator over policy gaps-Jacob P Koshy&#039;,
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-Live Mint
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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &amp;ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&amp;rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&amp;rsquo;t threatening.&amp;rdquo;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &amp;ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&amp;rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&amp;rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.
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-Live Mint





The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





This is...&#039;
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In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. 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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





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                <strong>CAG criticizes atomic energy regulator over policy gaps-Jacob P Koshy</strong></h1>
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                <div style="text-align: justify">-Live Mint</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">&ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The authors of the report rue that AERB has &ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">To be sure, CAG isn&rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">A senior AERB official said that though he&rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no document that says &lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&rsquo;t threatening.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.</div>               </font>
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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.
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Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.
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&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
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In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
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CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;
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A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.
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CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.
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-Live Mint





The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





This is...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;-Live Mint&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &amp;ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&amp;rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&amp;rsquo;t threatening.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &amp;ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&amp;rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&amp;rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-Live Mint
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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.
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This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.
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Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.
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&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
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The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
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To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.
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In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
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A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &amp;ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&amp;rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&amp;rsquo;t threatening.&amp;rdquo;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;
Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &amp;ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&amp;rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&amp;rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.
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-Live Mint





The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





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$disp = &#039;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;-Live Mint&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&amp;rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&amp;rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&amp;ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&amp;rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;The authors of the report rue that AERB has &amp;ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;To be sure, CAG isn&amp;rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&amp;rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&amp;rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;A senior AERB official said that though he&amp;rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&amp;rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s no document that says &amp;lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&amp;rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&amp;rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&amp;rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &amp;ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&amp;rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&amp;rsquo;t threatening.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: justify&quot;&gt;Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &amp;ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&amp;rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&amp;rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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-Live Mint





The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





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                <strong>CAG criticizes atomic energy regulator over policy gaps-Jacob P Koshy</strong></h1>
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                <div style="text-align: justify">-Live Mint</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">&ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The authors of the report rue that AERB has &ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">To be sure, CAG isn&rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">A senior AERB official said that though he&rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no document that says &lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&rsquo;t threatening.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.</div>               </font>
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		'title' => 'CAG criticizes atomic energy regulator over policy gaps-Jacob P Koshy',
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-Live Mint
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify">
This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
&ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
The authors of the report rue that AERB has &ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&rdquo;
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
To be sure, CAG isn&rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&rdquo;
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
A senior AERB official said that though he&rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no document that says &lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&rsquo;t threatening.&rdquo;
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.
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-Live Mint





The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





This is...',
	'disp' => '<div style="text-align: justify">-Live Mint</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">&ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The authors of the report rue that AERB has &ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">To be sure, CAG isn&rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">A senior AERB official said that though he&rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no document that says &lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&rsquo;t threatening.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.</div>',
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	'title' => 'CAG criticizes atomic energy regulator over policy gaps-Jacob P Koshy',
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-Live Mint
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
&ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
The authors of the report rue that AERB has &ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&rdquo;
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
To be sure, CAG isn&rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&rdquo;
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
A senior AERB official said that though he&rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no document that says &lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&rsquo;t threatening.&rdquo;
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify">
Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.
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-Live Mint





The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.





This is...'
$disp = '<div style="text-align: justify">-Live Mint</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India&rsquo;s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government&rsquo;s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">&ldquo;...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...&rdquo; concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">The authors of the report rue that AERB has &ldquo;...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">To be sure, CAG isn&rsquo;t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn&rsquo;t a truly independent authority to perform such a review.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn&rsquo;t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. &ldquo;...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">A senior AERB official said that though he&rsquo;s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn&rsquo;t have a policy on radiation safety. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no document that says &lsquo;Radiation Safety Policy&rsquo;, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It&rsquo;s at the core of what we do,&rdquo; said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded.</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. &ldquo;We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it&rsquo;s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren&rsquo;t threatening.&rdquo;</div><div style="text-align: justify"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify">Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. &ldquo;The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG&rsquo;s report could trigger some action,&rdquo; said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.</div>'
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CAG criticizes atomic energy regulator over policy gaps-Jacob P Koshy

-Live Mint The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has criticized India’s atomic energy regulator for not being truly independent, not having a radiation safety policy and being lax in monitoring the proliferation of unregistered medical X-ray facilities in the country. This is the first time ever that the performance of the 29-year-old Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been reviewed by the government’s auditor. The move follows criticism of the safety of nuclear plants both in India and abroad. Following the breakdown of nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011, protests erupted at an upcoming plant in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vetoed a proposal for a proposed plant in Haripur. “...It is evident that AERB is on a very tenuous ground if it has to be judged in terms of the benchmarks of what is expected of an independent regulator...” concludes the report by CAG that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday. The authors of the report rue that AERB has “...no rule making powers and neither does it have powers of enforcement and levy of penalties in the context of nuclear safety oversight...” To be sure, CAG isn’t the first to point out this longstanding criticism of the organization. In the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the Prime Minister ordered a safety review of all nuclear plants in India by AERB. Activist groups such as Greenpeace had then pointed that AERB wasn’t a truly independent authority to perform such a review. In the US, Australia and Canada, a formal legislation separates the regulators from nuclear power proponents. India doesn’t have such a legislation, and a Bill to effect this, called the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, is yet to be tabled in Parliament. CAG also blames AERB for lagging in promoting radiation safety. “...At the policy level, AERB has not yet prepared a radiation safety policy even after three decades of its existence...” A senior AERB official said that though he’s yet to read the report, it was incorrect to surmise that his organization didn’t have a policy on radiation safety. “There’s no document that says ‘Radiation Safety Policy’, but we have detailed codes and guides on managing ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. It’s at the core of what we do,” said R. Bhattacharya, secretary, AERB. Ionizing radiation fall in the category of radiation that can alter DNA and living cells and are considered cancerous and harmful for humans and other living beings. CAG said that nearly 91% of the 57,443 medical X-ray facilities operating in the country had no registration and while the Supreme Court had ordered that state-level radiation safety directorates be set up, only Kerala and Mizoram had acceded. Bhattacharya admitted that many medical, X-ray facilities were unregistered because the onus was on these units to register with AERB. “We are in the process of setting up these directorates, but it’s been slow due to difficulties in coordinating with states. On the other hand, radiation from X-ray units aren’t threatening.” Independent experts say that changes in AERB are long overdue. “The formation of AERB has never been an open, transparent process. Also, a law to manage hazardous nuclear waste has been in draft discussions for years now. Hopefully, CAG’s report could trigger some action,” said M.P. Ram Mohan, a fellow at The Energy and Resources Institute and a nuclear policy researcher.