After NSG setback, India gets into MTCR club

Days after the NSG setback, India’s quest for entry into global nuclear clubs got a decisive boost as New Delhi was formally admitted as the 35th member of the Missile Technology Control Regime. India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar signed onto the MTCR, which seeks to prevent the unchecked proliferation of missiles and their delivery systems. The accession document was signed in the presence of the ambassadors of France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg on June 27. “India’s entry into the regime as its thirty-fifth member would be mutually beneficial in the furtherance of international non-proliferation objectives,” said the foreign office in a statement. The MTCR curbs the proliferation of missiles, rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles, or drones, and the technology for systems capable of carrying a payload of 500 kg for at least 300 kg, as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction. In September 2008, the Nuclear Suppliers Group made an exception for India by granting it a landmark waiver to resume global nuclear commerce by taking note of its impeccable non-proliferation credentials. India’s entry into the MTCR should buttress its case for gaining entry into the NSG, which for the time being has been delayed due to objections raised by China and some other NSG members on grounds that New Delhi is not a signatory to the NPT.