Mr Gill was speaking on the second day of the Conference on ‘India’s Role in Global Nuclear Governance’ organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in collaboration with the Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO), from February 24-26, 2016.
Lamenting the deficit of dialogue among stakeholders on nuclear governance, Mr Gill insisted on the need for exchanges among them on various aspects of governance, especially nuclear security and non-proliferation.
Speaking on the notion of global nuclear governance, he said it is similar to domains like climate change and the law of the seas. Deliberating on the history of India’s contribution to nuclear governance since early 1950s, Mr Gill said this consists of an ecology of forums, institutions and norms, which has evolved with time.
On this occasion, Mr Gill recalled that India’s public and vocal stand against nuclear weapons went back to 1954 when the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru proposed the idea of a complete ban on the testing of nuclear weapons. It was this call that led to the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT), he added. However, in later years, with the security situation deteriorating in its neighbourhood, India felt the need to acquire nuclear weapons for its national security.
Also speaking on the occasion was Vice-Chancellor, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mr RB Grover, who elaborated on how India looks at nuclear technology as a resource for meeting its energy requirements. He also explained the rationale for India’s closed fuel cycle and mentioned that steps have been underway for operationalising the fast breeder reactor and the development of proliferation- resistant fuel cycles.
Earlier, several experts observed that India’s full membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) would lead to improved global nuclear governance.
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