NUCLEAR POLICY OF INDIA Since Nehrus times India has supported a policy of universal and non-discriminatory disarmament In the

he initial years after independence Indias main aim was to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. It was chose to be firmly opposed to nuclear arms or nuclear weapons test Indias suggestion at UN for end to all nuclear weapons led to the Atoms for Peace Programme initiated by US in 1957. This later became the IAEA 1963: India ceded to the Limited Test Ban Treaty 1968: NPT o Indias concern about universal disarmament was not addressed. Hence India did not sign o Only four sovereign states now are outside the treaty: India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea 1974: Pokhran I o The challenge of expanded nuclear weapons deployment in Indian Ocean by the US and the Soviet Union and the progressive nuclear weaponization of Pakistan and China led India to go nuclear o Various sanctions followed and Indias access to nuclear and dual use technology was cut off London Club was set up in response to Pokhran 1. This later became NSG. 1988: Rajiv Gandhi proposed a time bound programme for disarmament in the special session of UN GA o Aka Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan The plan was to be implemented in three stages over the next 22 years o Was through at the Six Nation Five Continent Initiative on Peace and Disarmament o In 2011, a committee headed by Mani Shankar Aiyer submitted a report to take forward the 1988 Rajiv Gandhi action plan The report outlines a seven point roadmap, including India reiterating its commitment to eliminating its own arsenal as part of a universal, nondiscriminatory and verifiable global process and promoting delegitimizing of nuclear weapons to set the state for negotiating Nuclear Weapons Convention that would discuss a world without nuclear weapons in a specified time frame 1996: CTBT o Was discriminatory o The treaty did not talk about the already stored nuclear arsenal o Till this time countries like the US had developed capabilities to perform nuclear tests in the laboratories and this treaty did not tell anything about limiting laboratory testing Indias nuclear doctrine Draft nuclear policy released in 1999 and amended in 2003 Objective: to project that Indias nuclear test explosions had a peaceful content and intentions. It seeks to project India as a responsible nuclear weapon state. Reiterate Indias commitment to global, verifiable and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament Four key principles o India has voluntarily undertaken not to test a nuclear weapon o No use of nuclear weapon against non-nuclear weapon state < now modified that India will not use nuclear weapon against a non nuclear state which is not aligned to a nuclear weapon state>

No first use. Will not use nuclear weapons unless the other country uses WMD (nuclear, chemical, biological) o Will follow credible minimum deterrence under which it would deploy only such nuclear weapons that are necessary to safeguard its strategic interest Institutions to handle nuclear weapons in India Two institutions o Nuclear Command Authority o Strategic Force Command NCA o Has two components: Political Council and Executive Council o Only the political council can authorise the retaliatory nuclear attack o Executive Council provides inputs for decision making by the NCA and it also executes direction given to it by Political Council SFC o Custodian of all nuclear weapons and delivery systems o Will also formulate the strategy for retaliation and advice the chiefs of Staff committee and actually fire the nukes

Major treaties

1963

Limited Test Ban Treaty US, USSR, UK prevented nuclear testing above ground, underwater and in outer space But it allowed testing underground

1967

Outer Space Treaty Banned placing WMD in orbit, on the moon, or in any other location in the outer space for military purposes

1968

Non Proliferation Treaty Three pillars of non-proliferation, disarmament and the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy

1987

Missile Technology Control Regime MTCR is not a treaty and only sets guidelines to its member countries to restict and control technology and equipment that could contribute to the development of ballistic and cruise missiles

Strategic Arms Reduction treaty (START)

1991
START II

1993
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty State party was to undertake not to carry pot and to refrain from causing, encouraging, or in any way participating in teh carrying out any nuclear test explosion

1996

Proliferation Security Initiative

2004
Fissile Material Cut off Treaty

2006
Global Nuclear Disarmament Initiative

2007
New START

2010

IAEA Worlds center of cooperation in the nuclear field Three main areas of work for IAEA o Safety and security o Science and technology including peaceful nuclear technologies o Safeguards and verification IAEA only reports discrepancies after inspections to the UN as it has no enforcement power The inspection system of IAEA is designed to deter proliferation through international pressure, disapproval and possible sanctions and counter measures