Earthquake occurred at shallow depth

Who is to be believed?

"Our nuclear policy has been marked by restraint and openness. We have not violated any international agreements either in 1974 or now, in 1998. The restraint exercised for 24 years, after having demonstrated our capability in 1974, is in itself a unique example. Restraint, however, has to arise from strength. It cannot be based upon indecision or doubt. The series of tests recently undertaken by India have led to the removal of doubts. The action involved was balanced in that it was the minimum necessary to maintain what is an irreducible component of our national security calculus.

Subsequently, Government has already announced that India will now observe a voluntary moratorium and refrain from conducting underground nuclear test explosions. We have also indicated willingness to move towards a de-jure formalisation of this declaration. Unquote

. lndia's commitment to the moratorium was reiterated by Prime Minister in his statement to the Indian Parliament on 29 May, a day after the Pakistani test, The Prime Minister of India also reiterated on engaging in negotiations on FMCT, undertaking strigept export controls on nuclear and missile related technologies as well as those relating to other weapons of mass destruction and. "no-first-use" agreement with Pakistan as also with other countries bilaterally, or in a multilateral form.

The logic and rationale of lndia's approaches which have been set out earlier by me in the Statement have been vindicated by the Pakistan's nuclear tests. These tests have established what has been known all along -- that Pakistan has been in possession of nuclear weapons. The clandestine nature of their programme is well documented. It is relevant to note in this context that the trans-border terrorism promoted, aided and abetted against India for the last ten years by Pakistan has a component of its nuclear capability. India has been a victim of this terrorism which must end.

Nuclear Issue
by Dr. Krishna M. Bhatta
Dr. Mahesh Mehta

We have described in the previous articles how Hindutva is our forgotten identity and Swadeshi our lost pride. We have also touched the point how economic independence and good quality of Swadeshi products will help re-establish our lost pride. However no country can maintain its pride without a strong defense (suraksha). We have tasted the bitterness of not having a strong defense and a national unity in our past, as recently as in Nehru^”s time when we had a war with China. Today, we will examine Bharatiya Janata Party^”s views on the so important nuclear policy

.

The BJP shall not compromise on national sovereignty and security. The current situation and regional war politics demand us to have a nuclear weapons program in India and the BJP party will take India to be a nuclear power. We do not wish to see India blown apart by Pakistan or China because we did not posses the deterrent nuclear power.

We, do however, believe in a comprehensive, universal and a non-discriminatory treaty of non-proliferation. We are also willing to explore the articulation of ^‹no first use^” statement. We will not be pressurized into signing a discriminatory treaty that is not in our national interest.

The congress party has the weak position on the nuclear policy of keeping options open. Where has this policy taken us. Internationally, we have been continually defending against having to sign on the Non proliferation treaty (NPT). We are under constant pressure of having to sign this treaty and sometimes claim victory by resisting to sign the treaty. Countries like the USA have shied from our friendship because of this sticking point. Some people don^”t even believe us on the point that we do not have nuclear weapons. After all recent admission by the previous Pakistan prime minister about Pakistan having nuclear capability has made world to rethink whether India and Pakistan are nuclear threshold countries or do they really have it.

"The BJP does not want to keep anybody in the dark. We do believe in making India strong and be able to maintain peace in the region. With China and Pakistan having nuclear capabilities, India has to have nuclear weapons. Once we have the nuclear capabilities then it will be easy for us to sign a non proliferation treaty," Now we will examine in detail how we reach to the conclusion that India needs to have nuclear capabilities. We will need to go back in time and examine how other countries have acted when they decided to go nuclear.

At the center of the whole nuclear issue lies the longing of world peace. The reason given for its very existence was that existence of the nuclear arsenal will help in prevailing peace in the world. To a large extent it has proved to be true so far. The possibility of a third world war looks remote at the moment. However, we as the world have at present got capability of destroying the whole world several times over; thanks to the existence of nuclear destructive capability, most of which lies in the hands of Russia and the USA. We all have heard or visualized on the television the horrors of atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. USA is the only country which has used this weapon in the history so far and rightly so is worried about its ever being used again by any body in the whole universe. Therefore, it argues for a treaty for non proliferation of nuclear bombs. The real question, however, is whether or not we need such weapons of mass destruction of whose devastation we have all seen? In fact the bombs that were used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were much less powerful than what we have available today.

Does BJP believe in Peace. The answer is an emphatic yes. India has always been a proponent for peace. All our ancient literature (shastra) start and end with Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. We do, however, say that we do not believe in peace at any cost. More important to us than peace is dharma and truth. More than likely , a deliberate de-arming occurred in Indian subcontinent after the Mahabharata when high technology was abandoned. We will fully support and comply with any plans to a nuclear abolition policy.

The treaty that is being touted most is a cut off treaty. This proposes capping of any further nuclear development. We have to look at it carefully. Who benefits from this treaty. Is it aimed at protecting the world or keeping the power with whom it already exists with. Does it provide undue advantage to our neighbors so much so that it will turn the balance of power and challenge the very peace that we hope to continue with our neighboring countries.

Let^”s look at the origin and development of the nuclear energy. Richard Rhodes has written a book called ^”The making of the Atomic Bomb.^’ Alexander Sachs an economist born in Russia and eventually educated at Harvard took a presentation to Franklin Roosevelt the then American President on October 11, 1939. He took the famous letter from Albert Einstein which eventually led to the production of the Atomic bomb. Germany had already invaded Poland and widespread bombing was occurring. Roosevelt had appealed to the belligerent to refrain from bombing civilian population on September 1. He said ^”No theory of war can justify such conduct.^’ As expected, Great Britain agreed the same day; even Germany, which was busy bombing Warsaw, concurred on September 18. It is interesting to note the remarks made in the book which says ^‹ Bombing was bad because it was enemy bombing.^” and the fact that the president had asked the congress to increase funds for long range bombers nine months before. It is interesting to note what is happening now. Over 40 years later the same group has been not only using aerial bombing, but have gone one step further. Unmanned cruise missiles are being launched from a distance. The argument now is to save lives of their own soldiers. War is no more a human affair, it is a video game. As if 100,000 people who died in Iraq had all been with Saddam Hussein. We are not trying to say that Hitler was right or the west is wrong, but, the point is that India has to work for what is in its interest. Even if India signs a non-proliferation treaty, the credit will be of the US president. The person who signs the treaty may sell his country but will probably win a Nobel peace prize for the deal.

Coming back to the meeting of Alexander Sachs with FDR on the 11 th of October, he emphasized power production first, radio active materials for medical use second and bombs of hitherto unenvisaged potency and scope third. Quoting from the book directly regarding the response of the president:

^”Alex,^’ said Roosevelt, quickly understanding, ^”what you are after is to see that the Nazis don^”t blow us up.^’ ^”Precisely,^’ Sachs said.
Roosevelt understood the then situation of horror of what could have happened if Hitler^”s Germany got the bomb first and the urgency and need to develop such a weapon became paramount to him. It was at that time in the interest of the USA to do so. Since then much has happened. Several countries have nuclear capabilities which include two of India^”s neighbors, China and Pakistan. Nehru tried supremacy without power and we all learned a lesson from China then. In the view of the BJP India has to have nuclear weapons to prevent itself from the probability of getting blown up. India understands its problems much more than some other country which proposes a treaty that is discriminatory. It has to 1. explain and convince the regional situation to the world but most importantly 2. not succumb to pressures from within or without, which may threaten the sovereignty of the nation. Our intentions must be clear to us and then we must make it clear to the world. We, however, would sign a no first use treaty and comply with any non discriminatory treaty..
Source: RSS Publication.

"New satellite high-resolution images of Indian and Pakistan nuclear and missile facilities acquired by the Federation of American Scientists from the Space Imaging IKONOS satellite showed details of weapons facilities previously known only to the secret intelligence world.

Cabinet approves customs, tax concession for nuclear projects

OCT 4, 2000: The government has decided to extent fiscal concessions including customs duty waiver on import of equipment and income tax holiday for 10 years to nuclear power projects in line with those given for other mega projects for power generation.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which met here under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, approved
of customs duty waiver on import of equipment for nuclear power projects, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan told reporters after the
meeting.

Nuclear power projects would also get the benefit of income tax holidays for 10 years in any block within the first 15 years and would be conferred
deemed export status for indigenous supplies implying customs duty, sales tax and other levies will not be levied.

The projects would also be guaranteed power off-take by the Power Trading Corporation while Power Grid Corporation will set up necessary transmission network to evacuate power form such projects, Mahajan said. The decision would benefit Nuclear Power Corporation of India's upcoming units at Tarapur Atomic Power Project and the proposed Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu) Atomic Power Project.

DR. HARSH GUPTA SHUNTED TO THE OCEAN DEVELOPMENT

Dr. Harsh K. Gupta, an eminent seismologist who made some uncomfortable comments about the Gujarath earthquake is being shunted from the National Geographic Research Center to the Department of Ocean Development. Dr.Gupta will take over as Secretary, Department of Ocean Development tomorrow. Dr. Gupta who has been the Director of the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad was today named Secretary, Ocean Development by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. Dr. Gupta, a geophysicist is also an eminent seismologist, who made some odd and unhappy remarks about the eartqhuake. In an interview with the media, he made an opinion that the Gujarath earthquake that measured more than 7 points on the Richter scale was equivalent to 5.3 Mega Ton Hydrogen Bomb.

"The Bhuj earthquake unleashed energy equivalent to a 5.3 mega tonne Hydrogen bomb and the aftershocks of this violent force will last for months," director of the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hydrabad was quoted by the Press Trust of India on January 28, 2001.Little did Dr. Harsh Gupta, an eminent seismologist

Even though the official announcement about the "promotion" said that Dr. Gupta’s appointment came in the wake of the retirement of Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam as Secretary, Department of Ocean Development on the 31^st of last month at the age of 62, the ulteriour motive behind his transfer is crystal clear.

.See the media report which quoted Harsh Gupta.

JASWANT SINGH, Indian Defense Spokesman--1999

"We welcome Pakistan's decision to declare the moratorium on any further tests. India had volunteered this moratorium soon after the series of tests had been planned and did on the 13th of May."

"India has not had an intermediate range ballistic missile test for the past, to the best of my knowledge and recollection, for the past three years. It's some of our neighboring countries that are engaging in development, import, and testing of ballistic missiles. If that continues, I cannot foreswear the possibility of the integrated missile development program of India being called off." said Jaswanth Singh after the Pokhran test.

Dhanush Test

"First developmental flight trail of Dhanush, the Naval version of Prithvi, surface-to-surface missile, with a range of 150 kms was conducted in the Bay of Bengal on April 11, 2000. Dhanush is part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme of the Defence Research and Development Organisation," announced the Government by the end of 2000..

Development of Critical Technologies

"Defence Research and Development Organisation of Ministry of Defence has launched a number of major programmes for the development of critical technologies and systems, through consortia of institutions and industry, technological empowerment of laboratories and collaborative teams. As a result of these efforts, several major systems have been indigenously developed and led to production. Some of these include electronic warfare systems, production of silicon and gallium arsenide based chips, 32 bit bit micro processor ANUPAMA and Super Computer PACE Plus," it said..

Earthquake occurred at shallow depth: USGS

Information from the USGS National Earthquake Information Center From the United States Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center: A major earthquake occurred IN GUJARAT, INDIA about 65 miles (110 km) north-northeast of Jamnagar, India or about 180 miles (290 km) southeast of Hyderabad, Pakistan at 8:16 PM MST, Jan 25, 2001 (Jan 26 at 8:46 AM local time in India).

The magnitude and location may change slightly as additional data are received from other seismograph stations. The earthquake was felt throughout northwest India and much of Pakistan. Also felt in western Nepal and Bangladesh. On June 16, 1819 an earthquake in this same general area killed 1500-2000 people.

"The earthquake occurred along an approximately East-West trending thrust fault at shallow (less than 25 kilometers) depth. Thrust faults occur when one portion of the earth's crust is pushed up over an adjacent portion. The strain that caused this earthquake is due to the Indian plate pushing northward into the Eurasian plate,".
02/07/2001: India: 16,480 people confirmed dead, 144,000 injured and 200,000 homeless. 228,000 houses destroyed, 397,000 damaged. 18,000 cattle dead. Damage estimates are $1.3 billion US dollars. Pakistan: 18 people are reported killed, with 100 injured.

An Expert View on US Policy guide towards a nuclear India.

"Sanctions, at least in the short-term, are going to be counter productive in India, because this has been--this test has been done out of a national sentiment. And when sanctions are imposed on something that's obviously so popular inside; however unfortunate it may be. They're going to reinforce that nationalist sentiment and create a siege mentality and more support for this kind of action. So it may actually lead to further tests. And so I disagree very much with Pervez, that I think it's going to be counter productive; however, I think there are two things that could be done that might mitigate this situation. One is I think that India could announce a moratorium on further tests. If the ambassador is to be taken at his word and India is serious, at least for the interim period while it invites back channel discussions, it could publicly announce a moratorium.," from an Interview of Arun Mikhijani, Nuclear Scientists in the post Pokhran period by a US online news site.

National SecurityELECTION MANIFESTO

32. In today's unipolar world it is of paramount importance that India constantly maintains and strengthens the state of preparedness, morale and combat effectiveness of our Armed Forces.33. The recently established National Security Council will advise the government in this regard and also in the establishment of a credible nuclear deterrence. These are the minimum requirements in this recently inaugurated era of global inequality and increased vulnerability. The NDA will correct the imbalance and budgetary neglect of Defence needs during the last decades by successive governments thus ensuring adequacy of budgetary allocations. We will take effective measures for eliminating all pensionary anomalies. We will revamp the entire system of welfare of ex-servicemen as a tribute to those that laid down their lives for the country.

Our Promises and Achievements

NATIONAL SECURITY

Our Achievements in 13 Months

Budgetary allocation on defence increased. Revival of the Defence Minister's Committee after more than 20 years.
The Naga cease fire extended by another year. North Eastern Council restructured with the inclusion of Sikkim with a view that NEC functions effectively as a regional planning body for North East.
Constituted the National Security Council.
Five successful nuclear tests conducted at Pokhran on May 11-13, 1998 achieving nuclear weapon capability. Development of second phase of Agni missile undertaken. New vessels added to Navy's fleet. Welfare of the troops and equipping them with the best of equipment given priority. The Siachen allowance increased. Quota of recruitment in Armed Forces from North East doubled. Talks on to secure a lasting peace in North East.
Successful conclusion of Operation Vijay launched to vacate aggression committed by Pakistan in the Kargil region.
New relief measures for those disabled/killed in conflict.

Our Achievements in 13 Months

Bills introduced in Parliament towards this end.

Give attention to the state of preparedness, morale and combat effectiveness of the Armed Forces and take appropriate remedial action.
Establish a National Security Council to analyse the military, economic and political threats to the nation and to advise the government. The Council will undertake Strategic Defence Review.
Re-evaluate the nuclear policy and exercise the option to induct nuclear weapons to ensure the security, territorial integrity and unity of India.

INDIAN GOVT POLICIES PROGRAMMES & INITIATIVES

(October 13, 1999 - October 12, 2000)

ATOMIC ENERGY

The Ministry of Atomic Energy is a broad -based multi-disciplinary organisation engaged in basic research, applied research, technology development and translation of the latter to diverse industrial applications. As a result, it today builds its own nuclear reactors and associated nuclear fuel cycle facilities. It is one of the leading producers of radioisotopes for use in industry, medicine, agriculture and research, and has established itself in hi-tech areas relating to accelerators, lasers, supercomputers, advanced materials, and sophisticated instrumentation. The stringent quality needs of nuclear technology have helped in upgrading the quality levels of the Indian industry. Besides all this, a pool of quality manpower has also been developed. Today, the atomic energy sector is marching ahead with the mission enshrined in the Ministry’s mandate. Some of the achievements and initiatives of the Ministry in the last one year are mentioned below.

Kaiga Atomic Power Station

The first of the twin units of the Kaiga Atomic Power Station was dedicated to the nation on March 5, 2000. The unit was operating at 220 MW level. The construction of India’s first 500 MW, PHWR Project at Tarapur also commenced in March this year.

Rajasthan Atomic Power Station

The Rajasthan Atomic Power Station already has two operating units which were reconditioned and rehabilitated in the period between 1995-1998. In addition, two new units based on Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor technology were being indigenously set up. The reactor of Unit No. 3 was made critical on December 24, 1999 and it was synchronised with the grid on March 10, 2000.

ISO-14001 Certificate and Golden Peacock Award To Narora Atomic Station

Narora Station (NAPS) has achieved the distinction of becoming the first ISO-14001 (The International Standards for Environmental Management System) certified atomic power station in Asia. ISO-14000 is a series of several international standards on Environment Management System (EMS), developed by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) based in Geneva, Switzerland. This power station also bagged the prestigious Golden Peacock Award from World Environment Foundation for excellence in preserving the environment.

Overall Capacity of NPCIL Increased

During the period of last one year, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited increased the overall capacity utilization of its atomic power stations to nearly 80 per cent.

All Time High Production of Nuclear Fuel Bundles

Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad achieved an all time high production of nuclear fuel bundles and other products. Recently, it reached a major milestone by manufacturing the 2,00,000^th bundle of PHWR fuel. It also commissioned three new projects viz. New Uranium Oxide Fuel Project, New Uranium Fuel Assembly Project, and New Ziracaloy Fabrication Project during the last one year.

Demonstration Facility for Radiation Processing Set Up

The first commercial demonstration facility for radiation processing of spices set up by the Board of Isotope and Radiation Technology of the Department of Atomic Energy at Vashi, Navi Mumbai, commenced commercial operations on January 1, 2000.