<p>Signalling the continuity of policy, the new government has ratified the Additional Protocol, a commitment given under Indo-US nuclear deal by the previous dispensation to grant greater ease to IAEA to monitor India's civilian atomic programme.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Additional Protocol was ratified last week and this has been conveyed to the Vienna-based IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), the global watchdog of nuclear activities, sources told PTI here.<br /><br />The IAEA had in March 2009 approved an additional protocol to India's safeguards agreement consequent to a pact reached with the agency the previous year to place its civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.<br /><br />That agreement had paved the way for the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to grant India-specific waiver for it to have commercial relations with other countries in the civilian atomic field.<br /><br />The waiver was necessary as India, despite being a nuclear-armed state, is not a signatory to the NPT.<br /><br />The ratification is a signal by the Narendra Modi government to the world, particularly the US, that it is serious in continuing to implement the Indo-US nuclear deal. This assumes significance since Modi is scheduled to travel to Washington to meet President Barack Obama in September.<br /><br />The sources pointed out that India wants to send a strong signal to the international community that it is a "serious and responsible" nuclear weapon state amid its keenness to become a member of the NSG.</p>
<p>Signalling the continuity of policy, the new government has ratified the Additional Protocol, a commitment given under Indo-US nuclear deal by the previous dispensation to grant greater ease to IAEA to monitor India's civilian atomic programme.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The Additional Protocol was ratified last week and this has been conveyed to the Vienna-based IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), the global watchdog of nuclear activities, sources told PTI here.<br /><br />The IAEA had in March 2009 approved an additional protocol to India's safeguards agreement consequent to a pact reached with the agency the previous year to place its civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.<br /><br />That agreement had paved the way for the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to grant India-specific waiver for it to have commercial relations with other countries in the civilian atomic field.<br /><br />The waiver was necessary as India, despite being a nuclear-armed state, is not a signatory to the NPT.<br /><br />The ratification is a signal by the Narendra Modi government to the world, particularly the US, that it is serious in continuing to implement the Indo-US nuclear deal. This assumes significance since Modi is scheduled to travel to Washington to meet President Barack Obama in September.<br /><br />The sources pointed out that India wants to send a strong signal to the international community that it is a "serious and responsible" nuclear weapon state amid its keenness to become a member of the NSG.</p>