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Obama may push India’s case for membership of elite N-clubs

NEW DELHI: The India-US nuclear deal is poised to take another leap with US President Barack Obama expected to endorse India's membership to the world's top non-proliferation regimes, like Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group. Due to some NPT sensitivity, the US is likely to give "forward-leaning" support for a future Indian membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). A possible Indian membership to these groups will not only open India Inc's access to advanced and controlled technologies, it will also bring India into a tightly run club, which controls the flow of advanced military, civilian and dual-use technologies to non-members. This would be in sectors like avionics, composite materials, machine intelligence and robotics, sensors, signals processing, simulation, chemicals, pharmaceuticals etc. India now ranks fairly low in competitiveness in advanced infrastructure. This could change dramatically. Essentially, it means benefits of nuclear deal can extend to not only civilian nuclear sector but cut across many applications, which, if utilised correctly, will open up a whole new universe to the Indian entrepreneurial class. "A strategic partnership with the US without a fullscope technology partnership would restrain India's potential to build its socio-economic infrastructure," Ravinder Pal Singh, international security expert, said. In return, India will have to harmonise its export control regulations and keep a tight lid on who and where it exports to. But it means Indian companies can significantly improve their technological standing with a world of advanced technologies opening up. At present, Indian technologists, or companies, are not even in the running. In 2005, Israel, another country that has not signed the NPT, signed a classified agreement with the US to adhere partially to the Wassenaar Arrangement and worked out its export control laws by 2007. The membership to NSG is a little further down the line because some criteria has to be developed that will accept India as an NPT-compliant country rather than as an NPT signatory. Government sources believe 2008 waiver has opened the door for India. India is keen to become a member of NSG, because it wants to get into the commercial civilian nuclear business. More importantly, India wants to get into the tent before the NSG decides to block enrichment and reprocessing technology for non-members which would seriously hamper the development of India's civilian nuclear sector.

                                                                                                               
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