Missile Technology Control Regime - a step forward for India to the Global Nuclear Technology

1. India became the 35th member of a global anti-proliferation bloc, the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which not only ensures transfer of high-end missile technology to the country but also gives it a license to export arms.

2. The MTCR membership is seen as a step forward in India's recognition as a legitimate nuclear power after New Delhi conducted its atomic tests in 1998.

3. India had applied in 2008 for the membership of the elite club of countries that control exports in missile technology and unmanned delivery systems of atomic or other weapons of mass destruction. The group was set up in 1987 to limit the spread of unmanned systems for delivering weapons of mass destruction.

4. The grouping places restrictions on its members exporting missile and missile-related technology, particularly on those capable of carrying a payload of at least 500kg to a distance of at least 300 km. These include both cruise missiles and larger drones.

5. The MTCR membership gives India access to restricted high-end technologies for developing its cryogenic rocket engines in order to further its space exploration.

6. The aim of the MTCR is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogramme payload for at least 300 kilometres, as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

7. India can now also explore the sale of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia.

8. None of the group's 34 members raised any objections, paving the way for India's smooth entry into the bloc of which China is still not a member.

9. China along with other nations like South Africa, Norway, Brazil, Austria, New Zealand, Ireland and Turkey last week blocked India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) -- one of the four multilateral export control regimes.

10. India will now also be able to acquire from the US armed Predator drones -- America's hot favourite in its war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan.