Indian Nonproliferation Bill Passes Lower House

India’s lower house of parliament yesterday approved legislation that forbids the illegal proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, May 10).

The bill covers nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their delivery systems. It needs to be approved by the upper house of parliament and signed by Indian President Abdul Kalam to become law.

“India is and will remain a responsible nuclear power,” said Foreign Minister Natwar Singh. “We have adopted the most responsible policy on sensitive and dual-use nuclear and missile-related technologies.”

“We are committed to ensure these do not fall into the wrong hands, especially the terrorists and nonstate actors,” Singh said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, May 12).

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