India's export control in line with Wassenaar Arrangement:Govt

India's export controls are in line with the Wassenaar Arrangement, one of the four non- proliferation regimes that prohibit export of items of dual- use technology, a senior external ministry official said.
The government came out with a Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies (SCOMET) list on April 24, said Pankaj Sharma, joint secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs) of the Ministry of External Affairs.
The notification has come into effect on May 1.
Export of dual-use (which can also be used for proliferation purpose) items and technologies is either prohibited or is permitted under a license. In foreign trade policy, dual-use items have been given the nomenclature of SCOMET.

"Broadly speaking the Scomet list has been consolidated," Sharma said, adding that category six of the Scomet list now recommends the Wassenaar Arrangements munitions list and the Wassenaar Arrangement dual-use list items.
Sharma was speaking at a seminar on 'Scomet update: Implications for the dual-use and defence industry' organised by the FICCI.

With an aim to gain entry into four non-proliferation regimes, India has been aligning its export controls as per these groups.
These groups are the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.
In 2016, India officially applied for membership of the NSG and gained entry to the MTCR.