New York: India on Monday (local time) said that urgency is needed to advance the work of the UNSC 1540 Committee to prevent terrorists from acquiring Weapons of Mass Destruction, stating that "procrastination cannot be an option anymore."

Speaking at UNSC 1540 Committee on non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, A Amarnath, Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to UN said that India reaffirmed its commitment to global efforts against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

"Procrastination cannot be an option anymore......greater urgency needs to be given to advance the committee's work," Amarnath said on Monday (local time).

He said that India accords great importance to the implementation of resolution 1540.

"We have established a strong statutory national export control system. India is also among the few countries who regularly provide national reports of implementation on resolution 1540 to the committee in this regard," Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to UN said.

He added that the mandate of the committee has already been rolled over twice while the committee's work was impacted by the pandemic-related restrictions.

"India has organized several outreach events involving these stakeholders. We have been organizing periodic outreach programs on export controls for industry, including sector-specific and regional specific events in India as well as the academic and research institutions, particularly covering intangible technology transfers," he said further.

On 28 April 2004, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1540 (2004) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter which affirms that the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and their means of delivery constitutes a threat to international peace and security.

The resolution obliges States, inter alia, to refrain from supporting by any means non-State actors from developing, acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, transporting, transferring or using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery.