India: No access to 11 of 16 US dual tech regimes

India faces maximum restriction in US' dual use technology exports to 25 countries, with 11 of US' 16 such regimes currently denied to it, despite being publicly praised by the Obama administration for its impeccable record on non-proliferation.

At the same time, countries like Slovakia and Slovenia face restrictions in just four of the 16 technology denial regimes, a confidential department of commerce data obtained by the PTI shows.

Lifting of restrictions on these dual use technologies is one of the major areas of focus of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he meets US President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday.

The official US list, comprising of 25 countries, shows that India faces the maximum number of dual use technology denial regimes which is adhered by three different wings of the US government -- the department of commerce, the state department and the munitions controller.

India faces restrictions in all three categories of the dual use technology in Chemical and Biological Weapons, in one of the two categories in the nuclear non-proliferation and missile technology and both in the National Security and Regional Stability duel use technology denial regimes.

As of now, the US also has imposed restrictions on two of the three regimes of the dual use technology in the crime control category.

Citing its record on non-proliferation, India has said it is time the US opens its door for 'dual use technology' and lift all export restrictions it imposes on India.

The industry sector from both the countries argue that lifting of restriction on India in the dual use technology regime would benefit both countries.

The current global dual-use market is currently estimated to be between $800 billion and $1 trillion and is growing annually at five per cent per annum.

Participation of Indian industry could be highly lucrative for India. Notably the previous Bush administration as part of the enhanced strategic cooperation with India had started the process of lifting restrictions on India in these categories.

In fact, it eased control on exports to India in as many as 750 licenses category, but officials feel India still has a long way to go.

"India needs to industrialise. India needs to operate on the frontiers of modern science and technology. And therefore, restrictions on dual-use technologies affect our growth," Singh said in an interview to the CNN, indicating that the issue would be on the top of the agenda of his talks with the US leadership in the next few days.

"We need an annual growth rate of 8 to 9 per cent to get rid of chronic poverty, ignorance and disease, which still afflict millions and millions of people in our country. . .And in that context, industrialisation and transfer of dual-use technologies can play a very important role," Singh said.