The US and India redoubled their efforts yesterday to overcome resistance to granting New Delhi an exemption from non-proliferation rules, as the Indian government reaffirmed a voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing.

India and the US both argue that the exemption, part of a deal that would put some but not all of India's nuclear reactors under United Nations safeguards, would strengthen global non-proliferation efforts and reward what they say is India's responsible record as a de facto nuclear weapons state.