Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday introduced a complete 21-point motion plan in the course of the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, laying out an bold highway map for cooperation throughout numerous sectors.
His proposals mirror India’s management in revitalising BIMSTEC, aligning with the ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’ insurance policies, and dovetailing into India’s broader Indo-Pacific imaginative and prescient.
Sharing his imaginative and prescient on X, PM Modi said, “BIMSTEC is a crucial discussion board to additional world good. It’s crucial we strengthen it and deepen our engagement. On this context, I proposed a 21-point motion plan protecting totally different elements of our cooperation.”
Emphasising the necessity for financial integration, PM Modi proposed the institution of a BIMSTEC Chamber of Commerce, an annual BIMSTEC Enterprise Summit, and a feasibility examine on conducting commerce in native currencies.
“It is time to increase enterprise throughout BIMSTEC nations!” he wrote.
Focussing on digital transformation, he urged the group to harness the potential of the IT sector and promote technological energy.
He referred to as for a pilot examine to evaluate the wants of BIMSTEC nations for sharing India’s Digital Public Infrastructure expertise, together with the combination of India’s UPI with regional fee techniques.
Referring to the latest earthquake that impacted Myanmar and Thailand, PM Modi highlighted the significance of regional cooperation in catastrophe preparedness and response.
He introduced the institution of a BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence for Catastrophe Administration in India and knowledgeable that the fourth joint catastrophe administration train will probably be hosted by India later this 12 months.
He additionally harassed the necessity to strengthen cooperation within the house and safety sectors.
Proposals included the primary House Ministers’ assembly to be held in India, coaching by floor stations, manufacturing and launching of nano-satellites, and use of distant sensing knowledge for regional planning and growth.
Within the realm of coaching and capability constructing, PM Modi stated, “BIMSTEC has the potential to be a shining instance of capability constructing frameworks. We’ll all be taught from one another and develop!”
He introduced the BODHI (BIMSTEC for Organised Improvement of Human Useful resource Infrastructure) initiative, below which 300 youths from BIMSTEC nations can be skilled yearly in India.
Scholarships for BIMSTEC college students at Forest Analysis Institute and Nalanda College have been additionally introduced.
Additional, India will conduct annual coaching programmes for younger diplomats from BIMSTEC international locations, and the Tata Memorial Centre will help coaching in most cancers care.
PM Modi additionally declared the creation of a Centre of Excellence for analysis in conventional medication and one other to facilitate data trade, analysis, and capability constructing for farmers.
Emphasising vitality safety and youth engagement, he stated, “We’ll collectively energise BIMSTEC, and it is our youth who will take the lead.”
The BIMSTEC Vitality Centre in Bengaluru has began functioning and can prepare youth within the vitality sector. He additionally urged expedited work on electrical grid interconnections.
He introduced the BIMSTEC Younger Leaders’ Summit, a regional hackathon, and a Younger Professionals Guests Programme. India may even host the BIMSTEC Athletics Meet later this 12 months and the primary BIMSTEC Video games in 2027.
On cultural ties and connectivity, PM Modi stated, “Few issues join like tradition! Might cultural linkages carry BIMSTEC even nearer.”
He proposed internet hosting the BIMSTEC Conventional Music Pageant in India and introduced the institution of a Sustainable Maritime Transport Centre to help analysis, innovation, and coverage coordination within the maritime area.
Whereas BIMSTEC was formally established in 1997, its strategic route and tempo of exercise notably accelerated after 2016, when PM Modi invited BIMSTEC leaders for a retreat in Goa alongside the BRICS Summit — an occasion extensively seen because the turning level for the group.
His international coverage initiatives — Neighbourhood First, Act East, the MAHASAGAR imaginative and prescient, and a imaginative and prescient for the Indo-Pacific — have imparted renewed vigour to BIMSTEC, benefiting all member nations.
India’s sustained efforts have helped BIMSTEC develop right into a cohesive regional bloc. In 2019, PM Modi invited BIMSTEC leaders to his swearing-in ceremony, reaffirming India’s dedication to regional unity.
India has additionally taken main strides in enhancing connectivity — bodily, digital, and energy-based — inside the grouping. The BIMSTEC Vitality Centre in Bengaluru performs a pivotal position in coordinating regional grid interconnection initiatives below the ‘One World, One Solar, One Grid’ initiative.
India’s management in catastrophe response has additionally been a cornerstone of BIMSTEC cooperation. Following the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, India launched Operation Brahma to help the affected area, reinforcing its position as the primary responder.
Underneath India’s stewardship, BIMSTEC has remodeled right into a dynamic and action-oriented platform with the potential to form the way forward for regional cooperation and integration.
The 21-point motion plan introduced by PM Modi additional solidifies India’s central position in steering BIMSTEC in the direction of a shared and sustainable future.
