i.1. History of India’s Nuclear Weapon Programme

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i.1. History of India’s Nuclear Weapon Programme

India’s nuclear weapon program, officially known as the Indian Nuclear Weapons Program, has its origins in the 1940s and culminated with the successful testing of nuclear weapons in 1998.

On 26 June 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru announced: As long as the world is constituted as it is, every country will have to devise and use the latest devices for its protection. I have no doubt India will develop her scientific researches and I hope Indian scientists will use the atomic force for constructive purposes. But if India is threatened, she will inevitably try to defend herself by all means at her disposal.

History of the programmes
1940s-1950s: Early Developments	India’s interest in nuclear technology began during the colonial era, and scientific research in nuclear physics gained momentum in the 1940s. India’s nuclear program started in March 1944 and its three-stage indigenous efforts in technology were established by Dr. Homi Bhabha when he founded the nuclear research center, the Institute of Fundamental Research. The establishment of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) marked significant steps in India’s nuclear research.
1960s-1970s: Peaceful Nuclear Explosions	India’s loss of territory to China in the war of 1962, provided the New Delhi government impetus for developing nuclear weapons as a means of deterring potential Chinese aggression. India conducted its first peaceful nuclear explosion (PNE) in 1974 at the Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan. This test, codenamed “Smiling Buddha,” marked India’s entry into the global nuclear stage. The PNE was presented as a demonstration of India’s nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes, but it had military implications.
1980s: Shift towards Weaponization	In the 1980s, India’s nuclear program shifted from a focus on peaceful uses of nuclear technology to military applications. Concerns about regional security dynamics, including China’s nuclear capabilities and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, contributed to this shift.
1998: Pokhran-II Tests	In May 1998, India conducted a series of nuclear tests, known as “Pokhran-II,” (code-named “Operation Shakti”) at the Pokhran Test Range. Five nuclear devices were detonated. These tests included both fission and thermonuclear (fusion) devices, showcasing India’s ability to develop a range of nuclear weapons.
India’s No-First-Use Policy and Doctrine of Credible Minimum Deterrence (CMD)
About	In August 1999, the Indian government released a draft of the doctrine which asserts that nuclear weapons are solely for deterrence and that India will pursue a policy of “retaliation only”. The document also maintains that India “will not be the first to initiate a nuclear first strike, but will respond with punitive retaliation should deterrence fail” and that decisions to authorize the use of nuclear weapons would be made by the Prime Minister or his ‘designated successor(s). ‘ The doctrine of “No first use” means “no first use against non-nuclear-weapon states”, as clarified by our NSA. The doctrine of “no first use against non-nuclear-weapon states” reflected India’s strategic culture, with its emphasis on minimal deterrence. India’s nuclear doctrine emphasizes a retaliatory strike capability and NFU. The doctrine also stresses a massive retaliation policy against any nuclear aggression.