India deserves access to dual use technology: Manmohan Singh

At the same time, countries like Slovakia and Slovenia face restrictions in just four of the 16 technology denial regimes, a confidential Department of Commerce data obtained shows.
Lifting of restrictions on these dual use technologies, is one of the major areas of focus of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he meets US President Barack Obama at the White House tomorrow.

The official US list, comprising of 25 countries, shows that India faces the maximum number of dual use technology denial regimes – which is adhered by three different wings of the US Government -- the Department of Commerce, the State Department and the Munitions Controller.

India faces restrictions in all three categories of the dual use technology in Chemical and Biological Weapons, in one of the two categories in the nuclear non-proliferation and missile technology and both in the National Security and Regional Stability duel use technology denial regimes.

As of now, the US also has imposed restrictions on two of the three regimes of the dual use technology in the crime control category.

Citing its record on non-proliferation, India has said it is time the US opens its door for "dual use technology" and lift all export restrictions it imposes on India.

The industry sector from both the countries argue that lifting of restriction on India in the dual use technology regime would benefit both countries.

The current global dual-use market is currently estimated to be between USD 800 billion and USD one trillion and is growing annually at five per cent per annum. Participation of Indian industry could be highly lucrative for India.

Notably the previous Bush Administration – as part of the enhanced strategic cooperation with India – had started the process of lifting restrictions on India in these categories.
In fact, it eased control on exports to India in as many as 750 licenses category, but officials feel India still has a long way to go.

"India needs to industrialise. India needs to operate on the frontiers of modern science and technology. And therefore, restrictions on dual-use technologies affect our growth," Singh said in an interview to the CNN, indicating that the issue would be on the top of the agenda of his talks with the US leadership in the next few days.

"We need an annual growth rate of 8 to 9 per cent to get rid of chronic poverty, ignorance and disease, which still afflict millions and millions of people in our country... And in that context, industrialisation and transfer of dual-use technologies can play a very important role," Singh said.

"We are a nuclear weapon state, but we are a responsible nuclear power," he said in an interview telecast as he landed in Washington Sunday. "We have an impeccable record of not having contributed to unauthorised proliferation of these weapons of mass destruction."
"So I think India does require greater consideration of the global community," he said when asked if he was worried that President Barack Obama's administration may be more restrictive in the transfer of nuclear technology to India under their landmark civil nuclear deal.

In another interview with Newsweek ahead of his Tuesday summit with Obama, Manmohan Singh said India would seek "a positive reaffirmation" of his administration to carry forward their landmark civil nuclear deal forged during the previous Bush administration.
India had no worries about the US honouring the consent agreement (for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel) under their "landmark and watershed" nuclear deal, "but we would like a positive reaffirmation of this administration to carry forward that process," he said.