When was the Political Council of the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) set up?

The Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) of India was officially established on January 4, 2003. This decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), which constituted both the Political Council and the Executive Council of the NCA [t1, t2]. The Political Council is chaired by the Prime Minister and is the sole body authorized to order the use of nuclear weapons, ensuring civilian control over the nuclear arsenal [c2, t2]. The Executive Council, chaired by the National Security Advisor, provides critical inputs and executes directives issued by the Political Council [c2, t1]. Simultaneously, the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) was created to manage and administer the nuclear stockpile and operationalize the NCA's directives [t1, t2]. This two-layered structure was designed to provide a robust command and control mechanism for India's nuclear deterrent [t3].

Sources

1. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Command_Authority_(India)
2. [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 88: Foreign Policy > NUCLEAR DOCTRINE OF INDIA > p. 611