Bill to prohibit financing of weapons of mass destruction introduced in Lok Sabha

New Delhi, April 5 (UNI) A Bill to amend the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar introduced The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022, which will amend the 2005 Act.
The new legislation prohibits the financing of such weapons. The 2005 Act only prohibited the manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
“In recent times, regulations relating to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems by international organisations have expanded. Further, the United Nations Security Council’s targeted financial sanctions and the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force have mandated against financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems,” Jaishankar said in the statement of object and reasons of the Bill.
He said there is a need to amend the Act to provide against the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
The Bill prohibits financing of any activity in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, empowers the Central Government to freeze, seize or attach funds or other financial assets or economic resources for preventing such financing, and prohibits making available funds, financial assets or economic resources for any prohibited activity in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005 was enacted to prohibit unlawful activities in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
The Act covers unlawful activities relating to biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and their delivery systems and provides for integrated legal measures to exercise controls over the export of materials, equipment and technologies in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and for prevention of their transfers to non-State actors or terrorist.