Bill in Lok Sabha to ban Weapon of Mass Destruction funding

Bill in Lok Sabha to ban Weapon of Mass Destruction funding

Subject: Polity

Section: Parliament

Context: External Affairs Minister introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha that seeks to ban funding of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

About the Bill

Bill seeks to insert a new Section 12A in the existing law which states that “no person shall finance any activity which is prohibited under this Act, or under 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, in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems”.

Bill would give the government powers to “freeze, seize or attach funds or other financial assets owned by such person; or held by or on behalf of, or at the direction of, such person; or derived or generated from the funds or other assets owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such person”.

It proposes to “prohibit any person from making funds, financial assets or economic resources or related services available for the benefit of persons related to any activity which is prohibited under this Act.”

Rationale:

• The existing Act (Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005) does not cover the financial aspect of WMD delivery systems and inclusion of new provisions was essential to meet India’s international obligations
  • United Nations Security Council’s targeted financial sanctions and the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force have mandated against financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
• The earlier law of 2005 regarding WMDs and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) only banned their manufacture.

Weapon of mass destruction 

• A weapon of mass destruction(WMD) is a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natural structures (e.g., mountains), or the biosphere.
• Originally coined in reference to aerial bombing with chemical explosives during World War II, it has later come to refer to large scale weaponry of warfare-related technologies, such as chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear warfare.