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Fakir Chand in Bangalore
Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the architect of India's missile programme, has clarified that the use of nuclear weapons by the defence forces in the ongoing defence exercises in the Thar desert of Rajasthan is only for training purposes.
Reacting to reports on the use of nuclear weapons in Operation Poorna Vijay, the principal scientific advisor to the Union government said he had nothing to add to what the Army spokesman has said on the use of nuclear weapons in the ongoing exercises.
"They (nuclear arms) are being tested for military operations. They are only for training by our armed forces. I cannot say whether we would go for their production right away," Dr Kalam said on the sidelines of his interaction with the students of the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science.
Asked when would production of nuclear weapons commence, Dr Kalam referred to the annual report of the Department of Atomic Energy for the fiscal year 2000-01, which hints at production of a limited number of nuclear weapons.
"The policy on nuclear weapon production is outlined in the DAE report. We will go ahead with the research and development activities in the run up to manufacturing them in a limited quantity," Dr Kalam said.
Hailing the government's decision to open up defence production to the private sector, Dr Kalam said the move would enhance the technological capabilities of the Indian industry and at the same time encourage innovation in our research laboratories.
"So long our defence establishments have been only developing technologies and prototypes and have not gone in for mass production. Now it is the for the Indian industry to come forward and take advantage of the new opportunity," he said.
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