RAS question
The India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement (123 Agreement) was signed in which year?
Correct answer: (D) 2008.
The India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, known as the 123 Agreement, was signed on 10 October 2008.
Explanation
The 123 Agreement between India and the United States concerning peaceful uses of nuclear energy was signed on 10 October 2008. That date matters because the agreement marked the formal step enabling civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries after India received an NSG waiver. The PIB release also distinguishes this from later implementation arrangements: an "Arrangements and Procedures" agreement was signed on 30 July 2010, after the 123 Agreement itself. For RAS, the trap is the sequence. The 2005 joint statement and the 2006 US legislative step belong to the build-up, while 2010 belongs to follow-up arrangements. The agreement signing year asked here is therefore 2008.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 2005 refers to the India-US joint statement on nuclear cooperation, so it belongs to the political build-up rather than the signing of the 123 Agreement.
- (B) 2010 is too late: the PIB release says the 123 Agreement had already been signed on 10 October 2008, with a later Arrangements and Procedures agreement signed in 2010.
- (C) 2006 is linked to the Henry Hyde Act in the US Congress, not to the signing of the India-US 123 Agreement.
Concept
This tests the chronology of India’s civil nuclear diplomacy and international technology cooperation. It recurs in RAS because such agreements connect science and technology, foreign policy, and current-affairs timelines.