In the Indian context, what is the implication of ratifying the ‘Additional Protocol’ with the ‘International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) The civilian nuclear reactors come under IAEA safeguards.
India's Additional Protocol is attached to its India-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA, which covers only India's civilian nuclear facilities. So ratifying it means those civilian facilities stay under IAEA safeguards and get wider IAEA access; military installations are left out.
- ✓ (a) The IAEA Board approved a safeguards agreement with India in 2008 for the application of IAEA safeguards to Indian civilian nuclear facilities. The Additional Protocol to that agreement entered into force on 25 July 2014.
- ✗ (b) Both the safeguards agreement and its Additional Protocol are titled as covering 'Civilian Nuclear Facilities'. India's military installations are not placed under IAEA inspection.
- ✗ (c) The Additional Protocol is an arrangement with the IAEA. It does not give India any right to buy uranium from the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which is a separate body.
- ✗ (d) Ratifying a protocol with the IAEA does not make a country a member of the NSG. NSG membership is a separate matter decided within that group.
Remember · India's Additional Protocol (signed 15 May 2009; in force 25 July 2014) extends IAEA safeguards access to its civilian nuclear facilities only.
Sources
- IAEA News: IAEA Board Approves India Safeguards Agreement (1 August 2008) ↗ “The IAEA Board of Governors today approved by consensus a nuclear Safeguards Agreement with India, calling for application of IAEA safeguards to Indian civilian nuclear facilities.”
- IAEA News: India's Additional Protocol Enters Into Force (25 July 2014) ↗ “An Additional Protocol (AP) to the Safeguards Agreement between the Government of India and the IAEA for the Application of Safeguards to Civilian Nuclear Facilities entered into force on 25 July 2014.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·