Niranjan Chandrashekhar Oak

Niranjan Chandrashekhar Oak’s Article ‘Iran’s Attacks on the Data Centres: Lessons for India’s Emerging Critical Infrastructure’ Published by CAPSS

Research Analyst Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Mr Niranjan Chandrashekhar Oak’s article ‘Iran’s Attacks on the Data Centres: Lessons for India’s Emerging Critical Infrastructure’ has been published by CAPSS on 10 April 2026. Along with the data centres, India should also consider the upcoming Small Modular Reactor (SMR) industry, which the government has decided to incentivise under the Nuclear Energy Mission (NEM), and through enactment of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, to meet the substantial energy demand of the data centre ecosystem, says Mr Oak. Read Complete Article [+] Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way reflect the views of MP-IDSA or the Government of India.

The Unravelling of the Global Nuclear Order

The global nuclear order, made up of the international nuclear regime, bipolar nuclear hegemony, extended nuclear deterrence, and the nuclear taboo, is gradually unravelling.

SHANTI Act and India’s Nuclear Energy Governance Framework

The SHANTI Act establishes a unified legal framework designed to address India’s contemporary and future energy requirements.

Niranjan Chandrashekhar Oak, Bhawna Budhwar |
February 17, 2026 |
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India’s Roadmap for Small Modular Reactors

The Indian Union Budget for the fiscal year 2025–26 provisioned ₹ 20,000 crore for the Nuclear Energy Mission aimed at advancing research and development in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to operationalize at least five indigenously developed SMRs by 2033 (PIB Citation2025a). This is a part of the larger objective to instal 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, which currently amounts to a mere 8.18 GW, i.e., 1.74 per cent of India’s total electricity generation capacity. Moreover, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is actively designing three types of SMRs—Bharat Small Modular Reactor (200 MW), Small Modular Reactor (55 MW), and Gas-cooled high-temperature reactor meant for hydrogen production (PIB Citation2025b). The development of the SMRs will involve Indian private industry for the first time. Further, India is also collaborating with foreign companies in this endeavour. To address concerns raised by private players, the Government has established separate Task Forces to amend the AERB, Citation1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA), 2010. The budgetary allocation, a time-bound action plan to develop SMRs and the intended legislative changes show that the Government is serious about the development of SMRs. Against this backdrop, the Commentary tries to gauge the significance of the SMRs in India’s strategic calculus. How will the proposed amendments change India’s nuclear energy landscape? What are India’s global engagements in the field of SMRs? What are the challenges in the path of India’s acceptance of SMRs?