India hopes to be a member of NSG: Minister

In the News:

Foreign Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that India is looking forward to joining to Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in order to overcome political obstacles.

What's in today's article:

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is about, its origin and membership criteria Indian membership, India's status as an nuclear state
News Summary

In Focus The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

NSG is a non-profit legally non-binding association of the world's major nations that deal in nuclear materials.
Its goal is to keep nuclear exports from civilian and commercial reasons from being used for the production of the nuclear weapon.
The group currently comprises 48 members who work in accordance with accepted guidelines to avoid proliferation while engaging with nuclear commerce.
It is not an official organization Its rules and regulations are not legally binding. All decisions, including membership are decided through consensus.

Origin

The signatories of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) feel it is necessary to put in place additional protections for exports of nuclear material as well as specialized nuclear equipment to non-nuclear weapons states.
- NPT is an international agreement that was signed in the year 1970.
- The primary goal of the NPT is to stop the spread of nuclear weapons as well as weapons technology.
- India, Pakistan and Israel have not signed the NPT..
Consultations multilateral on control of exports of nuclear materials were held in separate mechanisms.
The 1974 Pokhran nuclear test proved to be a trigger because it could have demonstrated that certain non-weapons-specific technology could be used in weapon development.
In the end, the NSG was established in 1974.

Who is eligible to participate?

Any state that has exports that are listed on the Guidelines could apply to be a member of the NSG membership.
- The two guidelines are or guidelines for nuclear exports as well as nuclear-related exports.
- The guidelines contain a rule which states that the transfer of nuclear technology can be allowed only under the condition that the arrangement will not contribute to increasing the use of nuclear weaponry.
- Thus, all the member states of the NSG are signatories to the NPT.
A prospective member is assessed by its record of proliferation for export controls at the national level and compliance with international agreements on nuclear nonproliferation as well as agreements.
Every member who is currently a member must be able to approve the application of a new member to join the system.

India has not become an NSG member. NSG

Non-signatory of the NPT
- India is not a signatory to the NPT. The participants in NSG are the signatories of NPT.
- India has refused to sign the NPT due to the fact that they believe that the NPT defines nuclear states as those who had tested their devices prior to 1967.
- According to this definition India is not able to be classified as one of the nuclear weapons state.
- Furthermore, India believes NPT is an unfair treaty since nuclear weapon states do not have an obligation to surrender them in exchange for an embargo on states that are not nuclear.
Opposition from China
- Although the majority of the 48 members has backed India's entry, China along with few other nations have criticized India's entry.
  - Other countries who are opposed to India's inclusion into the NSG include Turkey, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand.
- Many experts believe China's opposition is to allow the admission of Pakistan as which is a close ally to China as well as a key ally in NSG.
  - China has even suggested that If India could be admitted without signing the NPT then Pakistan should be allowed membership too.
  - But, the track history for Pakistan is not a good one. US in 2018 issued sanctions against 7 Pakistani nuclear companies for nuclear proliferation.
- Because, NSG works on the basis of consensus, China's resistance makes it more difficult for India to be admitted.

India's credibility as an accountable actor

Through the years, India has demonstrated its commitment towards International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) security measures. It has taken voluntary steps to comply with NPT as well as NSG guidelines.
In the aftermath of the Indo the US civil nuclear agreement of 2006 The US actively sought an exemption to India in the name of India's flawless performance.

What is the reason India is interested in joining this group?

Analysts believe that being a part of the NSG is primarily about pride and want to be heard from a few of the most powerful countries .
- Since the international sanctions on technology and export restrictions by carrying out nuclear testing in the year 1998 India was eager to be recognized as an nuclear power.
In joining the NSG will grant India more access to affordable and green nuclear energy is crucial to their economic development.
- It will permit India to reduce its carbon emissions and lower air pollution caused by coal-fired power stations.
NSG membership could place India on a solider foundation to suggest the idea of Trade in plutonium for its thorium program that was waiting to be released.
- A quick adoption of technology based on thorium would provide India immense security and energy independence.

news summary

In a speech to foreign diplomats in Delhi Foreign Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that India hopes to be a part of the NSG.
- China has been adamantly opposed to India's NSG application mainly on the reason the fact that New Delhi is not a participant in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
He was speaking to diplomats from foreign countries in Delhi on the achievements in foreign policy of the present government over the last eight years.

The key highlights from the presentation

Make the HTML0 in India Make all over the world

India is a nation with a strong belief of the world as one and expresses that by advancing its development.
In this way the speaker said that we would like to create in India however, we want to make with the rest of the world.

Rule-based orders

Integration into multilateral groupings

He also highlighted the fact that India's participation in the MTCR (Missile Technology Control Regime), Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement are important.
Each of these groupings is international export controls regimes that are multilateral.
- MTCR - Created on April 27, 1987. The non-profit MTCR is designed to stop the use of ballistic missiles as well as other unmanned systems of delivery which could be used for chemical, biological, or nuclear attack.
- Australia Group - It is an informal group of nations which aims to make sure that exports do not aid in the development of biological or chemical weapons.
- Wassenaar Arrangement is an exclusive group of nations that have a commitment to export control to Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies

Indian Foreign policy is been showing more practical and conceptual clarity

India is an example of how democracies can be successful.
The nation's policy of putting neighbours first is evidently linked to an inclusive and non-reciprocal policy towards our closest proximates.
There has been a rise in Indian activities that affect South Asia and the world.

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