India's Nuclear Program
Introduction:-
- India conducted its first nuclear test in May 1974 during the regime of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The name of this nuclear test was "Smiling Buddha".
- Subsequently, the Pokhran-II test was a part of a series of five nuclear bomb tests conducted at the Pokhran test range in May 1998.
- India conducted 5 nuclear tests at the Pokhran nuclear site in Rajasthan on 11 and 13 May 1998. With this move, India's fame got all over the world.
- India became the first nuclear-powered country that has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) . The success of these nuclear tests conducted by India had stunned the world community.
- Due to these tests, the world community had imposed many restrictions on India. That is why India told the world community that India is a responsible country and will not "first use" its nuclear weapons against any country; Which is part of India's nuclear policy. India formulated its nuclear policy in 2003.
India's nuclear program:-
- On the eve of independence, the nuclear program was started in India under the leadership of Homi Jahangir Bhabha.
- India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was not in favor of the military use of nuclear, so initially the nuclear program was restricted to civilian use only.
- After the Second World War, America, Britain, Russia and France gradually acquired nuclear power.
- After the war with China in the year 1962, the nuclear test by China in the year 1964 and the war with Pakistan in the year 1965, India was forced to change its policy.
- With this change in policy, India conducted the first nuclear test in 1974 in Pokhran. This test was also necessary because after the year 1965, except such countries which were nuclear power, no one else was banned from acquiring nuclear capability.
- This discriminatory policy was opposed by India because, only a few powerful countries were considered capable of nuclear capability, known as P-5 countries, and disabilities were imposed on other countries.
- India believed that this discrimination should end and the world should move towards disarmament.
- But in the year 1968, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was imposed on various countries, although India has not yet signed this treaty.
India's Atomic Energy Program:-
- The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2017 shows that India ranks third in the world in terms of the number of nuclear reactors installed.
- India will generate 14.6 GW of electricity under its nuclear power program by the year 2024, while this capacity will be 63 GW by the year 2032.
- At present there are 21 nuclear reactors operating in India, from which about 7 thousand MW of electricity is produced. Apart from these, work on 11 other reactors is going on in various stages and after their activation, 8 thousand MW of additional power will be generated.
- Since India is not a participant in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapons program. Therefore, for 34 years, its nuclear plants or trading of substances was banned, due to which it could not develop its civil nuclear power till the year 2009.
- India is developing a nuclear fuel cycle to take advantage of thorium reserves in the face of past trade restrictions and the absence of indigenous uranium. India's primary energy consumption doubled between 1990 and 2011.
Nuclear Non and Proliferation Treaty and NPT :-
- This treaty was signed in the year 1965 and came into effect in the year 1970. It currently has 190 signatory members.
- According to this treaty, no country will manufacture nuclear weapons in the present or in the future. However, the member states will be allowed the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
- The three main goals of this treaty are to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, (i) to promote disarmament and (m) to ensure the right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology.
- India is one of the five countries that have either not signed the treaty or have subsequently pulled out of the treaty. Apart from India, it includes Pakistan, Israel, North Korea and South Sudan .
- India is of the view that the NPT treaty is discriminatory and hence it is not appropriate to join it. India argues that the treaty grants nuclear capability monopoly to only five P-5 powers (USA, Russia, China, Britain and France) and applies only to other countries that are not nuclear-armed.
The Comprehensive Nuclear and Test and Ban Treaty and CTBT:-
- The CTET Treaty prohibits the testing and use of all types of nuclear weapons.
- This treaty came to light after the Disarmament Conference of Geneva.
- This treaty was signed in the year 1996. So far 184 countries have signed this treaty.
Conclusion:-
- India's ballistic missile capability nuclear submarine INS Arihant completed its first mission a year ago. With the completion of this mission, India joined the ranks of countries that have nuclear trident.
- On this occasion, the Prime Minister of India reiterated his nuclear commitment and said that No First Use is an integral part of India's nuclear policy. But the Defense Minister's statement given some time ago has sparked a debate on nuclear policy again.
- Nuclear policy was formulated only after many years of analysis and evaluation. In such a situation, if the government wants to make any changes in this policy, then a thorough evaluation of its effects and consequences is necessary before changing the policy. At the same time, the government should clarify the policy after the above statement, because ambiguity in international relations can sometimes lead to serious consequences.
