PM Modi tells how India can get a permanent seat at UNSC Why is the world’s largest democracy not a permanent member of the UN Security Council?

PM Modi said the ‘opposite membership’ of the UNSC leads to opaque decision-making processes. Because of this, it is helpless to deal with the challenges of today. Even before this, PM Modi had given a statement regarding India’s permanent membership in UNSC. He had said that the rights of the Global South have been denied for a long time. Because of this there is a sense of anguish among the members of the Global South.

What is UNSC
The UNSC is the body responsible for maintaining peace and security at the international level. According to the UN website, the Security Council is the leading body in determining the existence of an act of aggression or a threat to the peace. It is the body that appeals to the parties involved in the dispute to resolve it through peaceful means. In some cases the Security Council may also resort to the imposition of sanctions to maintain or restore international peace and security. The UNSC has 15 members, out of which five are permanent and the rest are non-permanent.

How many times did India get a chance
Permanent members are known as P5. These members are America, UK, China, France and Russia. The non-permanent members of the UNSC are elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term. India is not its permanent member at present. But in 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992, 2011-2012 and 2021, India has got the opportunity of non-permanent membership on several occasions. India’s current two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UNSC begins in January 2021 and ends in December 2022. India got 184 out of 192 votes in the June 2020 election.