Bangkok: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision and policies have significantly revitalized BIMSTEC, affirming India’s leadership as a driving force in advancing the group’s agenda. India’s commitment to initiatives such as the Neighbourhood First policy, Act East policy, MAHASAGAR vision, and Vision for the Indo-Pacific has enhanced the group’s dynamism, creating new synergies and benefits for its member countries.
Under Prime Minister Modi’s guidance, BIMSTEC is bolstering its institutional framework. Although the BIMSTEC secretariat was established earlier, its formal launch gained momentum with the adoption of its charter in May 2024, establishing the organization’s international identity, guiding principles, and institutional structure.
India appointed Indra Mani Pandey, an experienced diplomat in multilateral affairs, as Secretary General, injecting energy, purpose, and action into the group’s initiatives. To support institution-building, India has allocated USD 1 million to the BIMSTEC Secretariat.
India has actively hosted key gatherings, including the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers Meeting in July 2024 and an informal meeting of BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2024 in New York.
Under India’s leadership, the BIMSTEC agenda has significantly broadened, now encompassing seven categories of focus areas, with each member country leading one. India spearheads the Security vertical, while Bangladesh leads Trade, Investment, and Development; Bhutan oversees Environment and Climate; Myanmar is responsible for Agriculture and Food Security; Nepal leads People-to-People connectivity; Sri Lanka manages Space and Technology; and Thailand heads Connectivity.
India’s role in the security domain includes establishing a robust legal framework to combat terrorism, violent extremism, and transnational crime across the region. There is also a strong emphasis on enhancing connectivity—physical, digital, and energy-wise. India operates the BIMSTEC Energy Centre in Bengaluru, which coordinates efforts to establish a regional grid interconnection, aligning with the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘One World, One Sun, One Grid.’
India is dedicated to ensuring BIMSTEC supports the global sustainability agenda, regularly conducting disaster management exercises among member nations, particularly given the region’s susceptibility to natural disasters. Additionally, India hosts the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate in Noida.
Under India’s leadership, BIMSTEC has intensified efforts to foster people-to-people connections and promote regional integration. The Prime Minister has prioritized youth engagement, cultural promotion, and environmental preservation—all of which are crucial parts of BIMSTEC’s agenda.
Recent events under BIMSTEC include the Aquatic Championship in February 2024 in Delhi, the Business Summit in August 2024, participation of a BIMSTEC cultural troupe in Bali Jatra in November 2024, a BIMSTEC Pavilion at Surajkund Mela in February 2025, the Youth Summit in Ahmedabad in February 2025, and the Youth-led Climate Change Conference in Delhi that same month, along with the launch of the BIMSTEC-India Marine Research Network.
The decisions made during PM Modi’s directive at the 2016 Goa Retreat continue to shape BIMSTEC’s agenda, with two significant outcomes—the adoption of the BIMSTEC Vision 2030 and the report from the BIMSTEC Eminent Persons Group—being unveiled in Bangkok.
Although BIMSTEC was established in 1997, it gained substantial momentum after PM Modi’s initiative to invite BIMSTEC leaders for a retreat in Goa during the 2016 BRICS Summit. Since then, he has focused on nurturing and strengthening the grouping and enhancing regional collaboration in the Bay of Bengal. In 2019, he continued this approach by inviting BIMSTEC leaders to his swearing-in ceremony.
