US bars India from 11 of 16 dual tech regimes

I / Washington November 23, 2009, 12:17 IST

The US continues to impose restrictions on export of as many as 11 of its 16 dual use technology regimes to India, despite New Delhi being publicly praised by the administration for its impeccable track record on nuclear non-proliferation.

At the same time, countries like Slovakia and Slovenia face restrictions in just four of the 16 technology denial regimes, a confidential Department of Commerce data obtained by the PTI shows.

Lifting of restrictions on these dual use technologies, is one of the major areas of focus of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he meets US President Barack Obama at the White House tomorrow.

The official US list, comprising of 25 countries, shows that India faces the maximum number of dual use technology denial regimes – which is adhered by three different wings of the US Government — the Department of Commerce, the State Department and the Munitions Controller.

India faces restrictions in all three categories of the dual use technology in chemical and biological weapons; in one of the two categories in the nuclear non-proliferation and missile technology and both in the National Security and Regional Stability duel use technology denial regimes.

As of now, the US also has imposed restrictions on two of the three regimes of the dual use technology in the crime control category.