..:: India Strategic ::. Nuclear: N-security, proliferation serious threats around India: PM

British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns | Theresa May takes over as new UK PM | May becomes second British woman PM after Margaret Thatcher | Cameron announced resignation following Brexit, a referendum for UK's exit from EU June 23 | International Tribunal demolishes China's claims over South China Sea | Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague says China has no legal basis to claim regional waters and build islets | The Tribunal also held China guilty of damaging coral reefs and natural environment | China has border maritime problems with all its neighbours | China rejected the decision, saying it is invalid and has no binding force | India, Tanzania agree to deepen overall defence and security partnership, especially in the maritime domain | Both nations agreed to work closely, bilaterally, regionally and globally to combat twin threats of terrorism, climate change | Prime Minister visiting Tanzania in the last leg of his visit to 4 African nations July 7-11 | Boeing, Mahindra Defence open C-17 Training Centre for IAF | Terrorism is the gravest security threat facing the world today, says PM Modi during Mozambique visit | Terrorism impacts India and Mozambique equally | NASA spacecraft Juno reaches Jupiter | Juno crossed violent radiation and flew 130,000 miles/hour | Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system | Juno should be in Jpiter orbit for 20 months to send data | The $1.1 billion Juno mission took five years to reach Jupiter | LCA 'Tejas' joins Indian Air Force | Tejas is an indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft | The single-seat, single-engine, multi-role light fighter is designed by ADA and manufactured by HAL | India test-fires new surface-to-air missile from a defence base in Balasore off Odisha coast | The new missile is jointly developed by India and Israel | Abdul Majeed Al Khoori appointed Acting CEO of the Abu Dhabi Airports | Eng. Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei becomes Advisor to the Abu Dhabi Airports Chairman | Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar hands over 'Varunastra' to Indian Navy | Varunastra is an advanced heavyweight anti-submarine torpedo | It is indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by DRDO | India officially joins Missile Technology Control Regime | With this India becomes 35th member of the MTCR | Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar signed the document of accession into MTCR in Seoul June 27 | The document was signed in presence of Ambassadors of France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg - the Chair and two co-chairs of the Regime | India had applied for the membership in 2015 | India finalises deal for 145 BAE Systems M777 artillery guns | This is Indian Army's first artillery deal in 30 years | Britain votes to leave EU, Pound crashes | 52 per cent voted Leave and 48 Remain in historic referendum | British Prime Minister David Cameron announces to resign before October over UK's exit | Leave process will take about two years though | Markets hit worldwide, including in India | China scuttles India's NSG bid | India joins SCO | India, apart from Pakistan, was admitted as full member of SCO during its Ufa Summit in July 2015 | After completing certain procedures, India now technically entered into SCO | India had an observer status for past 10 years prior to entering into six member regional bloc | No consensus on India's membership in NSG | China and five other countries oppose India's entry as New Delhi has not signed NPT | China insists Pakistan must also enter NSG if India's application is accepted | Pakistan is China's only military ally and is also known as a nuclear, missile and terror proliferator (NMTP) | Indian Space Agency ISRO successfully launches 20 satellites in one rocket | This is the biggest launch in ISRO's history | The satellites were launched onboard PSLV C-34 from SDSC (SHAR) Sriharikota | PSLV C-34 was carrying 17 satellites from US, Canada, Germany, Indonesia and 3 from India | Government of India approves 100% FDI in defence and civil aviation sectors | In defence, foreign investment beyond 49% (and up to 100%) permitted through the government approval route | This is in cases of access to modern technology in the country | For aviation, the government allowed 100% FDI in India-based airlines | The decision on FDI reforms taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi | India confident of getting into NSG, says External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj | India is working with China to win support | India will not oppose any country's membership proposal, EAM told a news conference |

Home

Editorial

N-security, proliferation serious threats around India: PM

Published: October 2011

New Delhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has warned that nuclear security and proliferation in India's neighbourhood remained "a serious threat" and called for the country's policy-makers to factor in the deterioration in the international strategic and political environment while drawing up India's future policies.

"Nuclear proliferation and nuclear security remain a serious threat in our neighbourhood," Manmohan Singh said, addressing the top security brass of India at the combined commanders conference of the army, navy, air force and coast guard here Oct 11.

"Broadly speaking, the international strategic and political environment has deteriorated from our point of view. The policies we adopt, whether internally or externally, must factor this in," he added.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Home Minister P. Chidambaram were also present on the occasion, along with navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, army chief General V.K. Singh and air force chief Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne.

However, the prime minister did not mention Pakistan, which is the other nuclear-weapon state in the region along with India, though his references were obviously aimed at the neighbour, which is troubled with threats to its nuclear installations from home-grown terror groups.

Despite serious conflicts, particularly after the the December 2001 terror attack on parliament and the November 2008 mayhem in Mumbai, the two sides have not crossed nuclear threshold. However, Pakistan's proliferation record is suspect and has come under adverse notice globally.

The two sides are said to be holding close to 100 nuclear war heads each, as per the Stockholm-based SIPRI's latest report.

Manmohan Singh also highlighted the cyber threats as "emerging as a major source of worry" to India's security installations, in an obvious reference to reports of Chinese hackers breaching top institutions, including the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and National Security Council Secretariat in recent years.

He said India had a long history in fighting terrorism, but "today terrorist groups are highly networked, nimble footed and more lethal".

"This calls for appropriate responses. Cyber threats are emerging as a major source of worry. Cyber and information warfare could qualitatively change the concept of a battlefield."

The prime minister also called upon the armed forces to focus more on maritime security, and on securing the coastline, the exclusive economic zone, the island territories and the sea lanes of communication.

Internally, he said, India should work assiduously to address problems in the northeast and deal with left-wing extremism in a comprehensive manner.

"We have to be sensitive to the needs of the weaker sections of society and ensure that the fruits of our progress reach them.

"Issues relating to the use of scarce resources such as land and water and strengthening institutions of governance require much closer attention than they had received in the past," Manmohan Singh added.

(IANS)