What’s in News

• India had 160 nuclear warheads as on January 2022 and it appears to be expanding its nuclear arsenal, Stockholm-based defence think tank SIPRI claimed
• There are total nine countries that have nuclear weapons – the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea

What the SIPRI Report said

• • As of January 2022, India possesses 160 nuclear weapons and appears to be growing its nuclear arsenal.
  • Nuclear warheads are the nuclear-powered explosive heads of missiles and torpedoes.
  • The number of nuclear weapons in India’s arsenal grew from 156 in January 2021 to 160 in January 2022.
  • In both January 2021 and January 2022, China possessed 350 nuclear warheads.

• Russia and the United States own over 90% of all nuclear weapons.

About SIPRI

• The SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
• Established in 1966 at Stockholm, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-appears-to-be-expanding-its-nuclear-arsenal-claims-sipri/article65523474.ece