New Delhi, June 15: India today decided to ratify an amendment to the International Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material that makes it mandatory for member countries to strengthen laws against smuggling of radioactive material.

The cabinet also decided to amend the Extradition Act, 1962, to make it compatible with the international atomic rules, while deciding to endorse the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.

The convention, an initiative of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was signed in 1980 and legally binds member countries to protect nuclear material. It calls for taking measures for prevention, detection and punishment of offences relating to nuclear material.

In 2005, the convention was amended for an expanded cooperation among member states. The purpose was to locate and recover stolen or smuggled nuclear material, mitigating any radiological consequences of sabotage and preventing combat related offences.

Till June this year, only 10 countries had ratified the amendments. These are Algeria, Austria, Croatia, Libya, Nigeria, Turkmenistan, Seychelles, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.

Several countries have objected to various measures suggested in the convention, which could come into play in nuclear related crimes like the Litvinenko case in Britain.

British prosecutors have accused Russian businessman Andrei Lugovoy of murdering Alexander Litvinenko, said to be a former KGB man, with radioactive polonium in London. Russia has refused to extradite Lugovoy saying the convention is unambiguous on extradition. It said the convention has a provision that such offenders could either be extradited or tried in their home country.