22 Feb 2023 Weapons of Mass Destruction Amendment Bill 2022
Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022
This article covers “Daily current events “and the topic is ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022’ which is in news, it covers “Polity” In GS-2, the following content has relevance for UPSC.
For Prelims: Parliament and State legislature-structure, functioning and conduct of business, amendments in Indian Constitution, weapons of mass destruction.
For Mains: GS-2, Polity
Why In News: Recently, the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Bill was passed by voice vote in Rajya Sabha.
About the Weapons of Mass Destruction Amendment Bill
The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022
- Introduced in Lok Sabha on April 5, 2022.
- The Bill amends the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005.
Weapons of Mass Destruction Amendment Bill 2022
Significance of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Amendment Bill
- Funding: The existing Act was devoid of any language about the financing of such WMDs, but this amendment has given it some substance.
- Strengthened Centre: The Act has provided the Central Government the authority to seize, freeze, or manage the financial resources used to create illegal WMDs.
- According to FATF guidelines: Recommendation 7 of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) mandates that all nations make sure that funding for WMD-related activity is forbidden.
What are Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD):
- WMDs are weapons with the potential to cause such widespread and indiscriminate death and destruction that their sheer existence in the hands of an adversarial power might be viewed as a grave threat.
- Contemporary weapons of mass destruction are typically classified as either nuclear, biological, or chemical (NBC) weapons.
- Conventions to outlaw such WMDs:
| Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) | ● Biological and chemical weapons development, manufacturing, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling, and use are all prohibited.
● The first multinational disarmament agreement to outlaw all WMD. ● A crucial component of worldwide efforts to stop the spread of WMD. ● Established a strong norm against biological weapons. ● 184 States Parties and 4 Signatory States make up the nearly universal membership. |
| Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) | ● Adopted on September 3, 1992, at the Geneva Conference on Disarmament.
● Permits State Parties to conduct thorough compliance checks. ● The CWC was made available for signature in Paris on January 13, 1993, and it became effective on April 29, 1997. |
- Although India has ratified both of these conventions, it has not ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, another international agreement to prevent the spread of WMDs.
Key Amendments of Weapons of Mass Destruction Amendment Bill
- Section 12A: The amendment bill aims to add a new Section 12A to the current statute that reads as follows::
- “no person shall finance any activity which is prohibited under this Act, or the United Nations (Security Council) Act, 1947 or any other relevant Act for the time being in force, or by an order issued under any such Act, about weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.”
- Prevent financing of such activities: The central government may freeze, seize or attach funds, financial assets, or economic resources (whether owned, held, or controlled directly or indirectly).
- Prevent finances or related services available: A person may also be barred from providing funds or similar services for the benefit of others in connection with any prohibited activity.
Way Ahead
- To ensure a safer and more peaceful world, the international community must act quickly and with the backing of the nuclear-weapon states.
- In the modern world, among all the components of weapons of mass destruction, biological weapons pose the biggest threat to humanity, necessitating a strict verification procedure.
- Nuclear weapons must be fully eradicated from the world if nuclear risks are to be eliminated.
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