Parliament replies digest (18–21 Aug 2025): SMRs, new spaceport, plastics, mangroves

What happened

• The Nuclear Energy Mission has ₹20,000 crore for SMR R&D; BARC is building BSMR-200, SMR-55 and a 5 MWth gas-cooled reactor for hydrogen [PIB, Parliament reply].
• Kulasekarapattinam spaceport is targeted for FY 2026-27; ₹985.96 crore allocated and ₹389.58 crore spent by 31 July 2025 [PIB, Parliament reply].
• All 36 States/UTs have Special Task Forces on single-use plastic; carry bags under 120 microns are banned [PIB, Parliament reply].
• MISHTI, launched on 5 June 2023, has taken up 22,560.34 ha of mangroves in 13 States/UTs [PIB, Parliament reply].

Background

• The Monsoon Session, which began on 21 July, was adjourned sine die on 21 August after 21 sittings over 32 days [PIB]. Earlier that week the Jan Vishwas Bill, 2025 was referred to a Select Committee [PIB].

Why it matters

• A second spaceport and SMR funding are both capacity questions for Mains.