Nuclear Policy: NPT, CTBT, NSG
International Relations · परमाणु नीति: NPT, CTBT, NSG · 18 facts
NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty, 1968): Aims to prevent spread of nuclear weapons; India has NOT signed it, calling it discriminatory.
NPT divides world into NWS (Nuclear Weapon States: P5) and NNWS (Non-Nuclear Weapon States); India rejects this discrimination.
CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty): India has NOT signed it; India argues it does not prevent modernization of existing nuclear arsenals.
NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group): 48-member group controlling nuclear trade; India is not a member but received a special waiver in 2008.
Pokhran I (Operation Smiling Buddha): First Indian nuclear test on May 18, 1974 under PM Indira Gandhi; 8 kiloton device.
Pokhran II (Operation Shakti): Five nuclear tests on May 11-13, 1998 under PM Vajpayee; included thermonuclear test; triggered US/international sanctions.
No First Use (NFU) Policy: India will not be the first to use nuclear weapons; will retaliate with massive response if attacked with nukes.
TPNW (Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, 2017): Bans nuclear weapons; India has not signed it.
Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal (123 Agreement, 2008): Allows civilian nuclear cooperation; India agrees to IAEA safeguards on civil reactors; historic for non-NPT state.
India's nuclear doctrine: Credible minimum deterrence, No First Use, massive retaliation, civilian command authority (Nuclear Command Authority).
Nuclear Command Authority (NCA): Headed by PM; Political Council (authorizes use) and Executive Council (implementation).
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency): HQ Vienna; India has safeguards agreement for civilian nuclear facilities.
India's nuclear triad: Land-based ballistic missiles (Agni series), submarine-launched (INS Arihant, K-15 Sagarika), air-delivered bombs.
Agni-V: ICBM, range 5000+ km; can reach most of China; inducted in Indian Army; Agni-VI under development.
Pakistan developed nuclear weapons covertly; A.Q. Khan network spread nuclear technology to North Korea, Libya, Iran.
India ratified the Additional Protocol with IAEA (2014), allowing more intrusive inspections of civilian nuclear sites.
Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT): Proposed but not yet adopted; India is in negotiations; would ban new fissile material production for weapons.
India has not signed NPT, CTBT, or TPNW — making it one of the few countries outside the global nuclear control framework.