3-Nov-2022: Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) seminar on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing
A Seminar on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, under the aegis of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), was conducted by the Indian Navy at Goa on 02 November 2022.
As the third largest ocean, the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a lifeline for nearly 35% of global population. Fish and Fisheries comprise important components of food security chain. These also contribute significantly to national socio-economic development. Sustainable fishing is seriously compromised by IUU fishing activities and are therefore a major cause of concern for the littorals of IOR. This was accordingly identified as an area of greater collaboration by the IORA Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security (WGMSS), established in September 2018. The WGMSS is presently chaired by Sri Lanka, and is advancing the IORA Action Plan 2017-21, adopted by IORA Member States.
The Seminar was conducted by the Indian Navy on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, under the guidance of the Ministry of External Affairs and duly supported by the Department of Fisheries, functioning under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying and other agencies of the Govt of India.
Representatives from 14 out of 23 IORA Member States (Bangladesh, Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Tanzania and Thailand) attended the Seminar.
During the Seminar, the attendees reviewed the scale of IUU fishing activities in the IOR, discussed the adverse effects of such developments on marine ecosystem, the legal voids in tackling these activities and deliberated upon collaborative strategies and capacity building measures that could be pursued by the IORA Member States towards mitigating the menace of IUU Fishing in IOR.
Established in 1997, this year marks the 25th Anniversary of IORA. India, as a founding member of IORA, remains committed to IORA’s agenda of promoting cooperation in the region to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean Region.
13-Nov-2019: Official Press Release: 19th IORA Council of Ministers Meeting
The UAE’s theme for its two-year period as Chair of IORA was “Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to Prosperity in the Indian Ocean”. H.E. Al Sayegh said that the UAE “was incredibly proud to chair IORA, the only Ministerial-level organization that focuses purely on the Indian Ocean region, bound together by growing economic and trade linkages, and a shared interest in promoting prosperity, peace and stability”.
The UAE wishes to leave a lasting legacy that not only allows IORA to fulfil its potential as a globally significant regional organization, but one that brings our counties together in the spirit of cooperation. Bangladesh assumed the position of Vice-Chair of IORA during the meeting. Admiral (retd.)
The meeting was attended by IORA’s 22 Member States and nine Dialogue Partners. The attached Abu Dhabi Communique was produced as the final outcome document.
Other notable achievements included:
- the signing of the IORA Instrument of Acceptance by the Republic of Maldives, IORA’s newest Member State; agreement to include the Republic of Italy as IORA’s 10th Dialogue Partner; agreement to include the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) as an Observer; the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by the United Republic of Tanzania; signing of the MOU to strengthen IORA between the IORA Secretariat and the German Development Agency (GIZ) governing a EUR995,000 partnership over three years;
- signing of the MOU on Application of Science and Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development between the IORA Secretariat and the Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned Movement and other developing countries (NAM S&T Centre) on Application of Science and Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development;
- endorsement of a MOU to strengthen IORA between the IORA Secretariat and the French Development Agency (AFD) governing a EUR1 million partnership over three years welcoming of a USD1 million contribution from India to the IORA Special Fund welcoming of a USD100,000 contribution from China to the IORA Special Fund launching of the Journal of the Indian Ocean Rim Studies (volume two, issue one).
9-Nov-2019: 19th Council of Ministers Meeting of IORA
Country Statement delivered by Minister of State for External Affairs during the 19th Council of Ministers Meeting of IORA, Abu Dhabi (07 November 2019).
Your Excellency, Minister Sayegh;
Excellencies, colleague Ministers;
I thank our hosts for the outstanding arrangements and the hospitality for which the Emirati people are famous. I also reaffirm the priority India attaches to the IORA, as an innovative concept, and a unique, broad-based platform for inter-regional partnership, connecting through the seas, the world’s most dynamic regions of South, Southeast and West Asia, Oceania and Africa.
Our meeting today is timely. Over the past year, the world has remained in ferment. Yet a positive consequence is increased faith in suitably-reformed multilateralism. The value of partnerships drives us to focus on maintaining the open and inclusive nature of the maritime domain, and to reaffirm the importance for all nations to adhere to international rules and laws. This is both at the heart of IORA, and the increasing trend of nations located in this region, or with significant interests in it, to articulate the need for a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
India is pleased to note commonalities in its vision of the Indo-Pacific, and those of partners in IORA. We look forward to inputs for an IORA-specific understanding of the Indo-Pacific from the 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue, and the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group meeting, both of which India will host in December along with the Expert Group on Academics, Science and Technology Cooperation.
Our Senior Officials have agreed on programmes for IORA’s Action Plan in its two remaining years. We urge greater focus on implementation: our group should not focus only on projects and events, but on focused, impactful actions. For this, we have a few suggestions:
First, administration and finance. A ship is only as fast as its engine room is sound. And despite efforts by our Secretariat, there is a need for all to pull their weight. We need to improve rules and procedures for the Secretariat, especially our Special Fund. As promised, my Ministry will send a team from its audit and finance departments later this month, to advise us on the Fund. We will also be deploying at our cost an IT specialist from the National Informatics Centre of India. The selected officer will leave for Port Louis soon, to start work within this year. And we are deploying a new Director, again at our cost, at the Secretariat.
There is an obvious link between efficiency of the Secretariat and finances. There is a mis-match between our annual contributions, and the needs of the Secretariat and our Plan of Action. We should task officials to devise a new, equitable payment plan that does not increase the burden on States that cannot afford to pay more.
Since this will take time, and presuming we can improve the working method of our Special Fund, we invite partners to add resources to the Fund, to support practical cooperation. We have just deposited US $ 1 million to the Fund last week.
Second, practicable work plans are key. We welcome finalization of such Work Plans in our priority areas. Our calendar of activities must be well-balanced, and experts from our line Ministries should be suitably involved.
As Coordinator of the Priority Area on Disaster Risk Management, we are pleased to have circulated here Guidelines for Disaster Risk Management. We were glad IORA partners joined us for our annual HA/DR exercises this past August. Lessons learned were circulated recently. Given the vulnerability of the larger Indo-Pacific region to natural disasters, we believe such exercises should have the widest-possible participation. We also encourage partners to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, launched at the United Nations this past September. And we look forward to positive responses on the MOU we have circulated in IORA, to share information from our Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region.
Third: widening the circle. IORA will be more effective when we go beyond policy makers and academics to bring in business and other stakeholders. Our activities and programmes must have a real-world impact.
In this context, we are pleased to help promote intra-IORA trade and tourism. We will host a workshop on beach and cruise tourism in Spring 2020, in partnership with our business chamber. And we are hosting a course in film making at our National Film and Television Institute in February. Our businesses have also made more suggestions to improve intra-IORA trade through trade facilitation and promotional activities. These are valuable suggestions, considering that the sea routes in the Indian Ocean should connect our countries with each other as well.
In this context, we see value in greater intra-IORA work on the Blue Economy and on Science and Technology. Bearing in mind the risk that pollution, especially plastic waste, unregulated exploitation of resources including illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, poses to the environmental equilibrium of our oceans, we need to task our scientists and oceanographers to increase understanding of these challenges and to convey to policy makers solutions to address these challenges.
In this regard, our Prime Minister recently announced an Indo-Pacific initiative for the Oceans. It calls for creating partnerships to deal with specific challenges to our maritime domain, from security and safety to disaster management; from sustainable management of resources to better trade and transport links. We will be happy to share details so that we can collectively address the challenges to Indian Ocean.
Dialogue Partnerships symbolize inclusivity and cooperation. We welcome interest evinced by so many of our valued partners in the IORA. It is now our Group’s responsibility to establish a workable model to engage with Dialogue Partners that is in line with the inclusive nature of the group and its objectives, while prioritizing the Member State-led nature of its processes.
India congratulates the UAE in assuming the chair of the IORA. We are certain that under the leadership of the UAE, IORA will attain greater heights and move towards achieving the objectives set out in the IORA Charter. India and the UAE share historical friendship connected by the Indian Ocean with strong people to people ties. India will actively support the UAE in its efforts to promote a shared destiny and a path to prosperity in the Indian Ocean.
Let me conclude by recording our appreciation to South Africa for its leadership of IORA these past years. We also welcome India’s close neighbour and valued friend, Bangladesh, to the Troika, as the next Chair. We also congratulate Maldives on becoming full member of the IORA and welcome them warmly to the IORA family.
19-Oct-2019: 19th IORA Council of Ministers Meeting on 7 November 2019
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the incoming IORA Chair, will host the 19th IORA Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting on 7 November 2019 in Abu Dhabi under the theme of “Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to Prosperity in the Indian Ocean”.
6-Feb-2019: IORA Meet on Disaster Risk Management concludes
The meeting of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Cluster Group on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) to strengthen cooperation in disaster response concluded.
The two-day workshop was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
IORA is an intergovernmental organisation and has many disaster-prone countries among its 22 members and nine dialogue partners. Disaster Response Management (DRM) is one of its priority areas and its Action Plan (2017-2021) has specific goals to improve resilience in IORA countries.
Participants at the meet drew a draft work plan for DRM in IORA and deliberated on the need for establishing a DRM Core Group to take forward the agreed objectives under the Work Plan.
Discussions on strengthening cooperation in disaster response interventions, including deployment of response teams and mobilization of relief material to affected countries, were held. Besides, information exchange, sharing of best practices, data and early warning technologies were also discussed.
A total of 36 delegates from eight Member States, including India, and the IORA Secretariat participated in this meeting. Senior officials of MHA, MEA, NDMA and NDRF were also present.
4-Feb-2019: Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) meet on Disaster Risk Management begins tomorrow
The Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is organising a meeting of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Cluster Group on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) on 5-6 February 2019 in New Delhi.
Indian Ocean Rim Association is an inter-governmental organisation and has many disaster-prone countries among its 22 members and nine dialogue partners. DRM is one of its priority areas and its Action Plan (2017-2021) has specific goals to improve resilience in IORA countries.
The two-day meeting will feature interactive sessions and will focus on development of a draft Work Plan for DRM in IORA. It will also deliberate on the need for establishing a DRM Core Group to take forward the agreed objectives under the Work Plan.
It would strengthen cooperation in disaster response interventions, including deployment of response teams and mobilization of relief material to affected countries. Deliberations at the meeting would also aid information exchange, establishment of disaster database(s) and sharing of best practices.
4-Oct-2018: 21 IORA Countries adopt the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy
As many as 21 countries in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) adopted the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region, post the 2nd IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting held at the 2nd Global Re-Invest India-ISA Partnership Renewable Energy Investor’s Meet & Expo in Greater Noida.
The Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region calls for collaboration among IORA member states in meeting the growing demand for renewable energy in the Indian Ocean littorals, development of a common renewable energy agenda for the Indian Ocean region and promote regional capacity building.
The declaration also calls for promotion of technology development and transfer, strengthening of public private partnerships in renewable energy and collaboration among IORA member states and the member nations of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). IORA member countries also resolved to collaborate with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
As per the declaration adopted, IORA member nations will collaborate with the ISA member nations to exchange knowledge and share views and potential interests in the renewable energy sector; paved by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between IORA and ISA on 3 October 2018, with a focus on joint capacity-building programs, research & development activities in solar energy and exchange of best practices.
Additionally, IORA member nations and IRENA will undertake the expansion of the Global Renewable Energy Atlas, the world’s largest-ever joint renewable resource data project, coordinated by IRENA, thereby creating the Indian Ocean region's first and most comprehensive map and database which can then be used to tap the sizable renewable energy potential of the region; and to collaborate on opportunities available under the International Renewable Energy Learning Platform (IRELP).
The Indian Ocean Rim Association was set up with the objective of strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean Region with 21 Member States and 7 Dialogue Partners. The last Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting was held on 21st January, 2014 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Subsequently, during the meeting of IORA Council of Ministers, held in October, 2016 in Bali, Indonesia, it was decided that the next conference will be held in India. In line with the commitment made, India hosted the 2nd IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial meet today.
India, Australia, Iran IR, Indonesia Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Singapore, Mauritius, Madagascar, UAE, Yemen, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros and Oman are members of IORA.
19-Jan-2017: Workshop on MSME Cooperation amongst Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Member Countries.
Union Minister of MSME, Shri Kalraj Mishra today inaugurated Workshop on MSME Cooperation amongst Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Member countries. Speaking on the occasion, he said that this workshop will strengthen economic relationship amongst the member countries in the field of trade and investment facilitation especially in MSME sector. He also stated that India has Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with 18 countries for cooperation in MSME sector. The National Small Industries Corporation of India, Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of MSME has 34 MoUs with its counterpart organizations of foreign countries for cooperation in MSME sector.
Workshop on SME cooperation will facilitate exchange of ideas, concerns and experiences of IORA member states and would help evolve a common MoU to address the emerging challenges in the region in MSME sector. The resilience in IORA over the last 20 years has been its innate strength. IORA’s evolution and growth have consistently seen an upward trajectory. This strength must be reinforced by ensuring independence of strategy and priority. The onus of strengthening the regionalism in a composite manner must rest first on the shoulders of IORA members themselves.
IORA region has emerged as a strong one with the highest growth prospects in the world. India and IORA together represent a huge market in which suppliers can build scale and efficiency and investors can allocate capital most productively.
IORA secretariat’s efforts in enhancing cooperation between the IORA member countries in terms of industrial and cultural cooperation. The MSMEs in the IORA member countries help in alleviating poverty by creating more job opportunities.
With the combined population of over 2 billion, IORA and India represent a vast market for goods and services and it is highly attractive due to large segment of high consuming middle class of about 600 million persons in India. This workshop will inspire the member countries to further cooperation and seek opportunities to support the progress towards mutual goals.
Background:
Workshop on MSME Cooperation amongst IORA member countries was organized in pursuance of the commitment made by India in the Economic Business Conference - II (EBC- II) held in Dubai in April, 2016. The Ministry of MSME, Government of India in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and IORA Secretariat organized this Workshop, wherein 29 representatives from 14 member countries, viz., Mozambique, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Comoros, Kenya, Seychelles, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Australia, UAE and Yemen participated.
MoU for MSME Cooperation amongst Indian Ocean Rim Association member countries will provide an appropriate platform to IORA MSMEs to interact with each other, participate in trade fairs, facilitate buyer-seller meetings and visits of delegations, acquire appropriate technology and explore trade and investment opportunities. The MoU will enhance market access, promote access to finance, promote innovation as a key competitive advantage for MSME, build capacity in management and entrepreneurship.
MSMEs constitute more than 90% of all business enterprises in the world and provide nearly 70% of global employment. The overwhelming majority of MSMEs in the developing world are micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees. India has more than 48 million MSMEs. These contribute more than 45% of India’s industrial output, 40% of the country’s total exports and create 1.3 million jobs every year.
India has already signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with 18 countries for cooperation in MSME sector. The National Small Industries Corporation of India, Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of MSME has 34 MoUs with its counterpart organizations of foreign countries for cooperation in MSME sector.
14-Jul-2022: India’s NSCS Hosts Meeting of BIMSTEC
The National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India is organizing a two day Meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Cyber Security Cooperation on 14-15 July 2022 in New Delhi. The Meeting is based on the agreement made during the meeting of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs held at Bangkok in March 2019 that the BIMSTEC Expert Group will formulate an Action plan to deal with Cyber Security challenges in the BIMSTEC Region.
The in-person meeting is being chaired by the National Cyber Security Coordinator Lt General Rajesh Pant and will witness the participation of delegates from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. All the delegates are experts in Cyber Security from their respective Government organization.
India as a lead Country for Security Sector in BIMSTEC forum has taken the initiative to organize this meeting on Cyber Security Cooperation and develop a Plan of Action on cyber security. The BIMSTEC Member States are being represented by the senior officials of their respective Government organisations which deals with cyber security and incident response.
The main objective of this BIMSTEC Expert Group meeting is to formulate the Action Plan which will bolster coordination and collaboration amongst the BIMSTEC Member States for strengthening Cyber Security in the use of ICTs. This Action plan will cover the mechanisms for the exchanges of cyber related information, cybercrime, protection of critical information infrastructures, cyber incident response and international developments related to cyber norms. The Action Plan has been proposed to be implemented within the time frame of 5 years after which the Experts Group on Cyber Security will review the Action Plan.
14-Jun-2022: Cabinet approves Memorandum of Association (MoA) by India for establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Centre at Colombo, Sri Lanka
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved a Memorandum of Association (MoA) by India for establishment of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Technology Transfer Facility (TTF) was signed by the BIMSTEC member countries at the 5th BIMSTEC Summit held at Colombo, Sri Lanka on 30th March, 2022.
The main objectives of the BIMSTEC TTF are to coordinate, facilitate and strengthen cooperation in technology transfer among the BIMSTEC Member States by promoting the transfer of technologies, sharing of experiences and capacity building.
The TTF shall facilitate transfer of technologies among the BIMSTEC Member States, amongst other things, in the following priority areas Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, Information and Communication Technology, Space technology applications, Agricultural technology, Food processing technology, Pharmaceutical technology automation, New and renewable energy technology automation, New and Renewable energy technology, Oceanography, Nuclear Technology Applications, E-waste and solid waste management technology, Health Technologies, Technologies pertinent to Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation.
The TTF shall have a Governing Board and the overall control of activities of the TTF shall be vested in the Governing Board. The Governing Board shall consist of one nominee from each Member State.
The expected outcomes of the BIMSTEC TTF are:
- Databank of technologies available in BIMSTEC Countries,
- Repository of information on good practices in the areas of technology transfer management, standards, accreditation, metrology, testing and calibration facilities,
- Capacity building, sharing of experiences and good practices in development, and
- Transfer and use of technologies among BIMSTEC countries.
31-Aug-2021: 8th Meeting of Agricultural Experts of BIMSTEC Countries held
India hosted the 8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Countries virtually Today. Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research & Education & Director General, ICAR chaired the daylong meeting with Dr. Thanda Kyi, Deputy Director General, Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Republic of the Union of Myanmar Co-Chair. Experts of Agricultural Ministries from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand participated in the meeting.
The Chairman highlighted the UN Food System Summit 2021 and the transformations that are happening in the agriculture and food systems globally. He exhorted to enhance the engagement and deepen the cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors amongst the BIMSTEC Member States by encouraging the exchange of knowledge, germplasm, students and experts. He also emphasized addressing biosafety and biosecurity concerns and promoting digital agriculture along with the trade of technologies for developing resilient agriculture, food systems and value chains.
The BIMSTEC Member States appreciated the greater engagement of India offering six slots of scholarships each for Master and PhD programmes in agriculture and its other initiatives for capacity development and training including the development of seed sectors. The cooperation in the areas of high impact transboundary diseases of livestock and poultry; aquatic animal diseases and bio-security in aquaculture and digitalization to promote precision farming was also discussed in the meeting.
The BIMSTEC provides a unique link between South and South-East Asia with 5 countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka from South Asia and two countries - Myanmar and Thailand from South-East Asia coming together on one platform for cooperation in 14 key economic and social sectors of the economy.
The BIMSTEC was founded in 1997 with an ambition to pursue mutual trade, connectivity and cultural, technical and economic development in the region. Initially, six sectors- trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism and fisheries were included for sectoral cooperation which was later expanded to 14 areas of cooperation. Agriculture is one of the 14 sectors. As about 1.7 billion+ people i.e., 22 per cent of the global population live in BIMSTEC countries, agriculture & allied activities are central to the economic and social development of the region.
The 4th Summit of BIMSTEC Heads of States held on August 30-31, 2018 at Kathmandu emphasised deepening the cooperation in the agriculture sector to attain food and nutritional security, preserve and promote knowledge on traditional farming and reduce costs, enhance income and mitigate risks for farming communities. Likewise, the 1stmeeting of the agriculture Ministers of BIMSTEC held on July 12, 2019 in Myanmar also reiterated stronger agricultural cooperation among BIMSTEC countries. This has assumed even greater significance in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on the food system.
16-Jan-2021: PM calls for collaboration among BIMSTEC nations to make this century a century of Asia Lauds vibrant energy in the startup space in BIMSTEC countries
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has said that it is for BIMSTEC nations to make this century the century of Asia as they are one fifth of humanity and have the collectively strength of 3.8 trillion dollar GDP. He was addressing ‘Prarambh: Startup India International Summit’ today via video conferencing.
The Prime Minister, noted the vibrant energy in the startup space in BIMSTEC countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. The Prime Minister noted that this century is a century of digital revolution and new age innovations. This is also the century of Asia. Therefore, it is the demand of our time that future technology and entrepreneurs should come from the region. For this, the Prime Minister stressed, that Asian counties who have will for collaboration should take responsibility and come together. There is a shared heritage of culture, civilization and relations in these countries. We share our thoughts, our ideas and wellbeing, therefore our success will also be shared. This responsibility, naturally falls on BIMSTECF countries as we work for one fifth of humanity, said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister saw new possibilities in the impatience, energy and eagerness of the youth of the region. That’s why, he said, he called for collaboration for technology and innovation at BIMSTEC summit in 2018 and proposed a BIMSTEC Start Up Conclave. Today’s Startup India International conclave is a step in the direction of fulfilling that pledge, the Prime Minister said.
Shri Modi outlined the ongoing steps in enhancing connectivity and business relations among the countries of the region. He recalled that BIMSTEC Ministers participated in India Mobile Congress in 2018 to promote digital connectivity. Similarly collaboration is on in sectors like defence, disaster management, space, agriculture and business. “Strong relations in these areas will benefit our startups leading to a value creation cycle, meaning, deepening ties in fields like infrastructure, agriculture and business will create new opportunities for our startups which in turn lead to growth in these sectors”, hoped Prime Minister Modi.
28-May-2019: Modi swearing-in invite to BIMSTEC leaders
By inviting leaders from the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries, Kyrgyz Republic and Mauritius at his swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a carefully calibrated diplomatic move that signals a major outreach to India’s neighbourhood from the Bay of Bengal to Central Asia, as well as the Indian diaspora across the world.
Last time, Modi had invited the SAARC leaders, and then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s attendance had raised hopes of a new beginning in the bilateral ties. This time, SAARC’s exclusion is clearly aimed at keeping Pakistan out of New Delhi’s engagement with its neighbours.
By inviting the leader from Kyrgyz Republic, India is displaying an outreach to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which is headed by the Kyrgyz leader, and which has China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan as members. India, which became a member along with Pakistan in 2017, wants to leverage its membership to advance its strategic objectives — counter-terrorism and connectivity.
And Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, who was also the chief guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January this year, is one of the most well-placed People of Indian Origin in the world. Since Modi has invested diplomatic capital in outreach to the Indian diaspora since 2014, this invite is seen as a natural choice.
The key message, however, is the outreach to BIMSTEC, which includes Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan, besides India.
From SAARC to BIMSTEC
New Delhi’s engagement with BIMSTEC rose from the ashes of SAARC. In October 2016, following the Uri attack, India gave a renewed push for the grouping that had existed for almost two decades but been largely ignored. Alongside the BRICS summit in Goa, Modi hosted an outreach summit with BIMSTEC leaders.
That September, some of these BIMSTEC countries had supported New Delhi’s call for a boycott of the SAARC summit scheduled in Islamabad in November 2016. As the summit was postponed, India had claimed victory in isolating Pakistan, having accused that country of carrying out the Uri attack.
Suddenly, BIMSTEC had emerged as a regional platform where five SAARC countries could gather and discuss sub-regional cooperation. India had long felt that the vast potential of SAARC was being under-utilized and opportunities were being lost due to either a lack of response and/or an obstructionist approach from Pakistan.
The search for an alternative, in fact, had been evident at the 2014 SAARC summit in Kathmandu, where Modi had said opportunities must be realised “through SAARC or outside it” and “among us all or some of us.” That was an important signal to Pakistan, as well as to fellow SAARC members.
Two years after the BRICS-BIMSTEC outreach summit and the BIMSTEC leaders’ retreat, the fourth BIMSTEC summit was held in Kathmandu in September 2018. The outcome was considered quite comprehensive, spanning from blue economy to counter-terrorism, although it was only the fourth summit in 21 years.
The Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world. Over one-fifth (22%) of the world’s population live in the seven countries around it, and they have a combined GDP close to $2.7 trillion.
Despite economic challenges, all these seven countries have been able to sustain average annual rates of economic growth between 3.4% and 7.5% from 2012 to 2016. The Bay also has vast untapped natural resources. One-fourth of the world’s traded goods cross the Bay every year.
In an effort to integrate the region, the grouping was formed in 1997, originally with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and later included Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. BIMSTEC, which now includes five countries from South Asia and two from ASEAN, is a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. It includes all the major countries of South Asia, except Maldives, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Few people in India are conscious of the fact that Phuket in Thailand is only 273 nautical miles from Indira Point, which is less than the distance between Chennai and Madurai.
As the region’s largest economy, India has a lot at stake. In the 20th anniversary speech in 2017, Modi said BIMSTEC connects not only South and Southeast Asia, but also the ecologies of the Great Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal. “For India, it is a natural platform to fulfil our key foreign policy priorities of ‘Neighborhood First’ and ‘Act East’,” he said.
For New Delhi, one key reason for engagement is in the vast potential that is unlocked with stronger connectivity. Almost 300 million people, or roughly one-quarter of India’s population, live in the four coastal states adjacent to the Bay of Bengal (Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal). And, about 45 million people, who live in landlocked Northeastern states, will have the opportunity to connect via the Bay of Bengal to Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand, opening up possibilities in terms of development.
From the strategic perspective, the Bay of Bengal, a funnel to the Malacca straits, has emerged a key theatre for an increasingly assertive China in maintaining its access route to the Indian Ocean. Beijing has undertaken massive drive to finance and develop infrastructure in South and Southeast Asia through the Belt and Road Initiative in almost all BIMSTEC countries, except Bhutan and India.
12-Apr-2017: Cabinet approves the “Signing and Ratification of MoU for Establishment of the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection”
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Power for Signing of "Memorandum of Understanding for Establishment of the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection". It will be signed among member states of BIMSTEC at the upcoming 3rd BIMSTEC Energy Ministers' Meeting to be held in Nepal.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia viz. Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. The "Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation in BIMSTEC" was formulated in the first BIMSTEC Energy Ministers' Conference held in New Delhi on October 4, 2005. In this plan, under the "BIMSTEC Trans-Power Exchange and Development Project", it was decided that a Task Force led by Thailand, with representatives of member countries, will give a report on draft MoU for grid interconnections. Total five meetings Task Force for BIMSTEC on Trans-power Exchange were held and the draft MoU for establishment of BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection was finalized by the Task Force on 16th Mar 2015.
In the BIMSTEC Leaders' Retreat 2016, held in Goa on 16th October 2016, the Leaders decided to expedite the signing of the MoU on BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection. Eventually, during the 4th meeting of BIMSTEC Senior Officials on Energy held on 11th-12th January 2017, the MoU was discussed and finalized.
This MoU will provide a broad framework for the Parties to cooperate towards the implementation of grid interconnections for the trade in electricity with a view to promoting rational and optimal power transmission in the BIMSTEC region. This MoU will facilitate:
(i) the optimization of using the energy resources in the region for mutual benefits on non-discriminatory basis subject to laws, rules and regulations of the respective Parties;
(ii) the promotion of efficient, economic, and secure operation of power system needed through the development of regional electricity networks;
(iii) the necessity of optimization of capital investment for generation capacity addition across the region; and
(iv) power exchange through cross border interconnections.
21-Mar-2017: BIMSTEC meet to focus on terror
India recently hosted the meeting of the national security advisers and security chiefs of BIMSTEC countries here on Tuesday, taking the first steps towards building a security architecture for the Bay of Bengal region. Counter-terrorism cooperation, counter radicalisation and maritime were the focus areas.
The meeting also deliberated on a host of security issues including the festering Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, which has seen terror groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba and al Qaeda trying to radicalise them.
The idea of the security meet was mooted during the BRICS-BIMSTEC summit in Goa in 2016. India considers Bay of Bengal as an important economic and strategic space and security challenges in this region have assumed greater importance. The Bay of Bengal sits in the centre of sea lanes of communication and trade and energy routes. It has assumed greater importance after India decided to develop its eastern seaboard with its ambitious `Sagar Mala’ project. All of these put security issues in sharp focus. China’s growing power play in the South Asian region and Indian Ocean has made it imperative for India to engage the countries in the neighbourhood in a security conversation that takes New Delhi’s security interests on board, while enabling them to deal with their own emerging security challenges.
6-Jul-2022: Union Agriculture Minister inaugurates the joint conference of ICRIER and NSE through video conference
The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated the joint conference of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) from Gwalior today. On this occasion, Shri Tomar said that as a result of the hard work of farmer brothers and sisters and farmer friendly policies of the government, today India stands among the top two producers in the world in terms of most agricultural products. He said that India’s organic products are in demand across the world and despite the adverse conditions like corona epidemic, agricultural exports from India touching Rs. 3.75 lakh crores is a good sign. In such a scenario, we must sustain the quality of our agricultural products and ensure it meets the global standards.
The conference on "Getting Agricultural Markets Right" has been organized jointly by ICRIER, one of the leading economic think tanks of the country, and the world's largest exchange, - NSE. The chief guest, Union Minister Shri Tomar said that India is a country with diverse climate and there is a possibility of very favourable weather for farming.
“Our agriculture sector is very strong, which stands tall even in adverse conditions. Recently, even during the Covid crisis, when the whole world had almost come to a standstill, then despite the lockdown, all agricultural activities like sowing, harvesting, marketing etc. continued uninterrupted. Indian agriculture sector is vast and a majority of our population depends on agriculture, so necessary changes have been made by the government for its progress and scholars also keep supporting the government through their suggestions, all of which will benefit the agriculture sector. Several initiatives have been taken under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the last 8 years for the development and management of agriculture. One thousand mandis across the country have been linked with the National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) and the process is on to connect the remaining mandis. Efforts have been made by the Central Government to enable farmers to get remunerative prices for their produce and to adopt technology in agriculture,” he said.
Shri Tomar said that the work of setting up 10,000 Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) has started in the country with an expenditure of Rs 6,865 crore.
“FPOs constitute about 85 percent of small farmers in the country. Under the umbrella of the FPOs, the farmers gain by expanding their area of cultivation resulting in higher volumes of production, they also get better quality seeds and fertilizers and can avail convenient loans, all of which will increase the overall income of farmers and improve farming. The government has arranged custom hiring centers at various places and farmers are also being given subsidy for agricultural implements. Earlier, the doors of private investment in the agriculture sector were often closed, but now efforts are being made to bring facilities like warehouses, cold storage, packaging machines etc. to the villages, for which the Center has earmarked a special package worth Rupees 1.5 lakh crore in agriculture and allied sectors. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) has been set up with an investment of more than Rs. One lakh crore, out of which loans worth about Rs. 9.5 thousand crore has been approved for about 13,000 projects so far, which will greatly benefit the farmers,” he said.
Shri Tomar called upon the farmers to adopt organic and natural farming and its quality should benefit the consumers. He said that the Central Government is also focusing on the promotion of animal husbandry, based on the principle of complementarity with agriculture. The Union Agriculture Minister said that the Government has announced a policy to promote the use of drones and the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has issued an SOP in this regard.
“As the use of drones increases, it will not only benefit the farming, but it will also help avert the chemical side effects on farmers’ health and create new employment opportunities. The government has launched several schemes for the benefit of farmers and they are being disbursed easy loans at low interest rates, the total amount of which is about Rs. 16 lakh crores at present. Similarly, under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, claim amount totalling Rs 1.15 lakh crore so far has been given to the farmers as compensation for the loss of their crops. It is our endeavour that the productivity of farmers should increase, for this the government is taking continuous steps,” he said.
Shri Tomar expressed confidence that the best proposals would come out of the deliberations during the conference, which would guide the formulation of better policies. ICRIER Chairman Shri Pramod Bhasin and NSE Managing Director and CEO Shri Vikram Limaye also addressed the conference. ICRIER Chair of Agriculture, Professor Shri Ashok Gulati proposed the vote of thanks. NSE Director and Chief Executive Dr. Deepak Mishra, NITI Aayog member Prof. Ramesh Chand were among the panelists and dignitaries present in the conference.