This is not the full 700 word article, but here is a start.
Introduction
The Indian Government has recently introduced the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 in the Lok Sabha. The bill focuses on preventing any financing related to WMD activities and presents provisions to strengthen actions against financiers involved in such activities.
Highlights of the Bill
The proposed legislation aims at modifying the existing Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act from 2005. This Act was previously enacted to put a stop to any unlawful activities concerning biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons along with their delivery systems. It also lays down integrated legal measures for controlling exports of material, equipment, and technologies associated with WMD and ensuring prevention of their transfers to non-state actors or terrorists.
The Need for Amendment
However, the existing Act does not encompass the financial facet of such weapon delivery systems. It is crucial to include these provisions to meet international obligations. Both the targeted financial sanctions by the United Nations Security Council and recommendations by the Financial Action Task Force have emphasized the need to prevent financing of proliferation of WMD and their associated delivery systems.
Objectives of the Bill
This Bill primarily seeks to fulfill three objectives:
– To prohibit financing connected with WMD activities.
– To give power to the Centre to seize, freeze, or attach funds, financial assets, or economic resources which may potentially finance such activities.
– To prevent provision of funds, financial assets, or economic resources for any prohibited activity associated with WMD and their delivery systems.
Understanding Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Referred to as NBC weapons collectively, modern WMD include nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. The mere possession of such weapons by any hostile power can be deemed a severe threat due to their capacity to cause indiscriminate death and destruction. Their usage dates back to as early as 1937 when massed formations of bomber aircraft were called WMD.
International agreements like the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty of 1968, Biological Weapons Convention of 1972, and Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 are efforts to control the spread of WMD. While India is yet to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, it is a signatory to both the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention.
UPSC Civil Services Examination: Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
One of the questions from 2011 asked about the difference between the “Australia Group” and the “Wassenaar Arrangement” in relation to multi-lateral export control regimes. In 2016, the examination included questions about the ‘Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)’. The OPCW is an international disarmament body formed after the enforcement of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1997. Headquartered in Hague, Netherlands, it is dedicated to eliminating chemical weapons worldwide.