Should India Go In For Nuclear Weapons?

Nowadays the status of a country is determined not by its cultural heritage but by its military might. All the big powers have a good stock of nuclear weapons like atomic bombs and missiles. The UNO is trying hard to ban the testing of nuclear weapons. But big powers like USA threaten the small and developing countries with their military strength. Our country is non-aligned nation. We believe in peaceful co existence. We always voice our concern against the use of atomic weapons. But, our unprincipled neighbor Pakistan has acquired nuclear capability. It is feared that it may harm India in some way or other. In order to counter this threat, it is essential that India will have to manufacture nuclear weapons. Possession of nuclear weapons will give psychological courage to our people. At the same time, manufacturing nuclear weapons is a costly affair. For a developing country like ours, such a policy will ultimately prove disastrous. For manufacturing nuclear weapons, many tests will have to be conducted. If the tests are made underground or in the sea, they are bound to pollute the atmosphere. Such a situation will adversely affect the health of a nation. So, we must cautiously approach this question.