New Delhi, June 9: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today spoke of the need for global nuclear disarmament while cautioning about the growing risk posed by nuclear weapons.

Inaugurating a conference on 'Towards a World Free of Nuclear Weapons' here, Dr. Manmohan Singh advocated the need for a collective approach in anchoring an international partnership to ensure universal nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in a time-bound manner.

Underlining India's commitment towards nuclear disarmament, the Prime Minister said, "Painful reality is that the goal of global nuclear disarmament, based on the principles of universality, non-discrimination and effective compliance, still remains a distant one."

Dr. Singh also spoke of emergence of new threats and challenges posed by nuclear weapons to global security, particularly the fear of extremist forces laying their hands on nuclear weapons.

"I refer to the growing risk that nuclear weapons may be acquired by terrorists or those driven by extreme ideologies; the increasing danger of non-state actors, accessing nuclear materials and devices; the development of new weapon systems based on emerging technologies which pose challenges to space security and provide new roles for nuclear weapons; and the weakening of multilateralism even as bilateral arms control processes falter in shifting strategic landscapes," he said

The Prime Minister said India hoped that there would be an international environment in which nuclear technology is used not for destructive purposes, but for helping us meet our national development goals and our energy security.

“India had declared a doctrine of no first-use that is based on credible minimum deterrence and had in place strict controls on export of nuclear and fissile related materials and technology,” he added.

He also stated that India has no intention to engage in an arms race with anyone and that it was fully committed to nuclear disarmament that is global, universal and non-discriminatory in nature. The pursuit of this goal will enhance not only our security but also the security of all other countries.

Dr. Singh also hoped that other countries would join India in commitment to nuclear disarmament and agree to a dialogue on the proposals New Delhi has made to the UN on nuclear disarmament.

“The proposals, which retain the "spirit and substance" of the Action Plan proposed by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988, include reaffirmation of unequivocal commitment of all nuclear weapon states to the goal of complete elimination of atomic weapons and reduction of salience of nuclear weapons in security doctrines,” he said.

The proposals also include negotiation of a global agreement on 'no-first-use' of nuclear weapons and a convention on complete prohibition of use or threat of use of nuclear weapons besides prohibition of production and stock-piling of nuclear weapons.

India has recently submitted a Working Paper on Nuclear Disarmament to the UN General Assembly, containing initiatives on nuclear disarmament, the Prime Minister added. (ANI)