Rajya Sabha has recently banned the financing of prohibited acts in relation to the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their delivery systems. The bill passed also advised the central government to freeze, seize and attach different economic assets of people involved in the prohibited activity. The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities), Amendment Bill, 2022 was passed within days by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar asking for the same legislation.
The recent legislation is an amendment to the original act passed under Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities), 2005. The 2005 act talked about the prohibition of unlawful activities including biological, nuclear and chemical weapons. The act covers all financing activities relating to biological, nuclear and chemical weaponry.
The Bill prevents different state actors and keeps them in check. The current amendment bill can question the financial assets of different persons. The Act also places various legal constraints in relation to producing Weapons of Mass destruction and their transport to different places. The bill will help the centre in the proliferation of different weapons of Mass Destruction.