-The Hindu   After the Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra, it is now the turn of the 2,000-MWe Kudankulam atomic plant in Tamil Nadu to run into serious opposition. As protests by local residents and activists intensified, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order the halting of the project until concerns and fears about the plant's safety were addressed. Hours later, Dr. Singh called up Ms....

-The Hindu   Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) V. Narayanasamy on Tuesday met those protesting for the past 10 days against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) and assured them that the safety and security of the people were paramount. “People's safety first and power generation comes later,” he told them at Idinthakarai in Tirunelveli district. Mr. Narayanasamy was deputed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to meet the agitators and...

The government on Wednesday introduced the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA) Bill seeking to create two regulatory bodies as part of measures to strengthen safety at the country’s atomic power plants, fulfilling an assurance given by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the aftermath of Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March. The government had said on 26 April it would draft a Bill to create an independent and autonomous regulator that...

-The Telegraph   Hospitals should inform patients regarding the radiation exposure they have undergone during CT scans and other such tests rather than keep them in the dark, health experts have said. Pointing out that radioactive elements emitted from radiation transmit highly-charged particles that can damage genetic blueprint of cells, they said such exposure causes major health problems, including cancer. “At times the cell can no longer function or repair itself and dies...

The Supreme Court has converted a high-powered committee of the Government of India, on the issue of black money, into an SIT under its own direction. This is an expression of no-confidence in the executive. The government’s intention in tackling either the problem of black economy or bringing back the black savings stashed abroad is suspect. According to reports, the money stashed abroad by the corrupt businessmen, politicians and others...