The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : ‘Trade in dual use technologies needs extra care’

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Saturday, May 24, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

‘Trade in dual use technologies needs extra care’

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The global trade of technologies, commodities and products which can be used for commercial civilian purposes and for sensitive military applications is on the rise.

Coupled with changing international security threats, this calls for regulation to ensure that commercial trade is not diverted to dangerous recipients, according to Anupam Srivastava of the US-based Centre for International Trade Security.

India, and Asia as a whole, have an important stake in ensuring that such regulation is fair, secure and enforceable, since the region is both an exporter and importer of such dual use products, he pointed out, in a workshop organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Thursday.

Materials

Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary L.K. Tripathy, who inaugurated the workshop, said that such regulations could help to ensure energy and food security for India as well. The country needed broader access to materials and technology to advance in nuclear and solar energy, he said.

FICCI’s state chairman Rafeeque Ahmed said that certain chemicals and high fuel pumps were at the top of the list of Indian exports which come under this dual use category.

Other machinery and biotechnology products produced in India can also be used for peaceful purposes, but can also be used as components in weapons of mass destruction.

These exporters face complicated regulations, he said. Dr. Srivastava said the government role is changing from that of a gatekeeper to a facilitator and encouraged industries to comply with regulations voluntarily in order to ensure their own safety and protect their own reputations.

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