Region of resplendence & abundance

BIMSTEC, a grouping representing a region with profound economic and ecological significance, provides India an ideal platform to lead the world, again, with its once-cherished panchsheel principle

- DIPANKAR DEY

India hosted the first meeting of the Governing Board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) on February 27, 2023, in Bengaluru. Representatives of all BIMSTEC countries viz. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand along with the BIMSTEC Secretariat attended the meeting. Considering the current energy scenario in the BIMSTEC region, the Meeting recommended adding the additional following areas under the specialized Wings of BEC: (a) Cyber Security, (b) Green Hydrogen (c) Energy Transition.

BEC has been established on the premise of the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Bangalore. In addition to this, BIMSTEC Centre on Weather and Climate (BCWC) has been established in the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The First Meeting of the Governing Board and Scientific Advisory Council of BCWC was held in New Delhi, on July 30, 2018.

Genesis

On June 6, 1997, representatives of the Governments of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand came together in Bangkok, and signed the ‘Declaration on the Establishment of Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation (BISTEC)’. The main aim of the regional group was the promotion of economic cooperation between countries bordering the Bay of Bengal.

With Myanmar joining on December 22, 1997, the group was renamed BIMST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand Economic Cooperation), and with the admission of Nepal and Bhutan during the 6th Ministerial Meeting in Thailand in July 2004, the grouping was renamed at the First Summit in Bangkok on July 31, 2004, as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).