{"id":108892,"date":"2024-05-18T21:37:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T16:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=108892"},"modified":"2024-05-20T13:52:15","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T08:22:15","slug":"50-years-of-pokhran-i","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/50-years-of-pokhran-i","title":{"rendered":"50 Years of Pokhran-I"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fifty years ago,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on May 18, 1974, India conducted its <\/span><b>first nuclear tests in Pokhran, Rajasthan,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as part of the<\/span><b> \u2018Smiling Buddha\u2019 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">operation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-109037 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112904170-664b03e449950.webp\" alt=\"50 Years of Pokhran-I\" width=\"350\" height=\"343\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112904170-664b03e449950.webp 1237w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112904170-664b03e449950-300x294.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112904170-664b03e449950-1024x1003.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112904170-664b03e449950-768x752.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>50 Years of Pokhran-I, Background to India Conducting its Nuclear Tests<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Post-World War II Era:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Following the end of World War II in 1945, new global alliances and alignments emerged amidst the Cold War between the US and USSR.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/non-proliferation-treaty-npt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)<\/b><\/a><b>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To maintain a kind of minimal peace, the NPT was signed in 1968.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It <\/span><b>defined nuclear-weapon states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> parties as those that manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive <\/span><b>devices before January 1, 1967<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, effectively meaning the <\/span><b>P-5 countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia).<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>India\u2019s Discontent: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India objected to this treaty on the grounds that it was <\/span><b>discriminatory to countries except the P-5.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-109038 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112910790-664b03e2df6d1.webp\" alt=\"50 Years of Pokhran-I\" width=\"498\" height=\"723\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112910790-664b03e2df6d1.webp 810w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112910790-664b03e2df6d1-207x300.webp 207w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112910790-664b03e2df6d1-705x1024.webp 705w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-20t112910790-664b03e2df6d1-768x1115.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><b>Domestic Developments:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Indian scientists <\/span><b>Homi J Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> had laid the groundwork earlier for nuclear energy to be tested in India.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>1954, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was founded, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with Bhabha as director.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>About Pokhran-I<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Support by Political Leadership: On September 7, 1972,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Indira Gandhi authorized the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) to develop and prepare a nuclear device for testing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"width: 100.299%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Why in Pokhran?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To <\/span><b>maintain the secrecy of the test<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Pokhran is <\/span><b>a remote location<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan&#8217;s Jaisalmer district.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The test was conducted during the month of <\/span><b>May<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when the<\/span><b> wind in the region created serious sandstorms.\u00a0<\/b><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sandstorms <\/span><b>obstruct a clear view<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to American spy satellites.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, the <\/span><b>infrared sensors do not pick up such activity <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">due to the <\/span><b>temperature that increases over 50 degrees during the daytime.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Maintenance of Secrecy: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the treaties that the P-5 had in place, India decided to conduct the nuclear test at Pokhran in 1974 without any prior information being released to the world.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Location &#038; Codename:<\/b> <b>Pokhran,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an army test range located in the desert of western Rajasthan, was chosen and its code name<\/span><b> \u201cOperation Smiling Buddha\u201d <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">came from the test\u2019s date being on the same day as <\/span><b>Buddha Jayanti, the birth date of Gautam Buddha.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ministry of External affairs designated it as Pokhran -1.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A nuclear device was detonated, with a yield of 12-13 kiloton of TNT, on May 18, 1974.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>India became the sixth country in the World to conduct a successful Nuclear Test.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Reactions after Conduction of the Test<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>International Criticism:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Almost all countries have <\/span><b>condemned India&#8217;s nuclear test.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Canada<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> imposed heavy sanctions. Even in <\/span><b>1978, the US signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> following which the<\/span><b> US ceased exporting nuclear assistance to India.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Establishment of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NSG was formed in response to this nuclear test.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The US pushed for setting up a club of <\/span><b>nuclear equipment and fissile material suppliers.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its purpose is to <\/span><b>control exports of nuclear-related materials and machinery.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Diplomatic Efforts: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has projected itself as a \u201cresponsible\u201d owner of these weapons, allowing acceptance among countries and into groups like the NSG.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has been <\/span><b>trying, since 2008, to join the NSG. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many countries that initially opposed its entry, like Australia, have changed stance; Mexico and Switzerland are the latest to voice support. India faces the only resistance from China.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strategic Shift: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India asserted itself as a nuclear-capable nation, paving the way for future developments like <\/span><b>Pokhran-II in 1998.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1998, under the leadership of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India conducted a series of nuclear tests in Pokhran once again, code-named <\/span><b>Operation Shakti.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.052%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 36px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 4926.83%; 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