In 2016, India became a member of which one of the following international export control or non-proliferation regimes?

Introduction / Context:
India long sought membership in several key international export control and non-proliferation regimes to strengthen its position in global nuclear and missile technology governance. These include the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Wassenaar Arrangement and others. In 2016, an important milestone was reached when India joined one of these regimes. This question tests whether you can correctly identify which body India became a member of in that year.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Four organisations are listed: the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), MTCR, NSG and Wassenaar Arrangement.
• The question asks specifically about membership achieved in 2016.
• We assume that the learner is aware of India status as a nuclear-armed state outside the NPT and its efforts to join selective regimes.

Concept / Approach:
India is not a signatory to the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state and therefore has not joined it in the sense listed here. India application for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group has been controversial and has not yet resulted in full membership, though it has received special waivers. India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement later, after 2016. The regime that India successfully joined in 2016 was the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which focuses on controlling the spread of unmanned delivery systems capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note that the NPT is a treaty which India has consistently not joined as a non-nuclear weapon state, so option A cannot be correct for 2016. Step 2: Recall that India admission to the Nuclear Suppliers Group has been a subject of prolonged negotiation and had not been completed in 2016, so option C is not correct for that year. Step 3: Recognise that India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in 2016, marking an important step in its integration with global export control architecture. Step 4: Remember that India accession to the Wassenaar Arrangement, another key export control regime, took place later than 2016, so option D is also not correct for that specific year. Step 5: Therefore the only regime from the given list that India joined in 2016 is MTCR.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard current affairs compilations for 2016 highlight India MTCR membership as a major achievement, noting that it would facilitate access to high end missile and unmanned aerial vehicle technologies and legitimize India export controls. The same sources emphasise that India is still seeking NSG membership and has not signed the NPT in the form expected of non-nuclear weapon states. News articles from later years then describe India entry into the Wassenaar Arrangement and other groups, making it clear that MTCR is uniquely associated with 2016 in this context.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT): India has remained outside the NPT framework as a non-signatory in the conventional sense.
• Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG): India has sought membership but had not become a full member in 2016.
• Wassenaar Arrangement: India joined this regime later, not in 2016.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates may confuse the timelines of India entry into different export control regimes or assume that all such memberships happened around the same period. Another pitfall is to treat NSG and MTCR as interchangeable because both relate to nuclear and missile technology. To avoid such errors, it is useful to remember a rough sequence: MTCR first (2016), then other regimes in subsequent years, while NSG and NPT remain special cases with unresolved or distinct positions.

Final Answer:
Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)