For first time, UN body representatives undertake training under Chemical Weapons Convention Act in India at Ankleshwar plant

Over 500 industries in India (the 12th largest manufacturer of chemicals), have declared their products under the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Act of which India is a signatory among 188 countries under the UN charter.

The India Chemical Council (ICC) recently organised trainings for two chemical weapons inspectors at Ankleshwar in Bharuch from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) — a UN body to monitor the prohibition of chemical weapons.

Ravi Kapoor, ICC Chairman (Gujarat Chapter), which recently organised the training, said, the helpdesk set up by ICC has helped in creating awareness about the issue of prohibition of usage of chemicals as weapons.

“It is for the first time that India alone has been selected in Asia for imparting training to OPCW representatives under the International Associate Training Program. Earlier, OPCW representatives were trained only in Europe and the US,” said Kapoor, who recently made a presentation at The Hague, where the OPCW headquarters are located.

OPCW representatives Mamadou S. Kebe from Senegal and Jonas F. Mwatseteza from Malawi were deputed for training at a modern chemical plant in Ankleshwar for three weeks in August and September this year.

According to ICC Gujarat Secretary Y P Saxena, Heubach Colour Private Limited in Ankleshwar was chosen to impart the training in identifying Schedule 2 and 3 and Discreet Organic Chemicals (DOC) under the CWC UN treaty with India.

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