Consider the following statements in respect of BIMSTEC :
- I.It is a regional organization consisting of seven member States till January 2025.
- II.It came into existence with the signing of the Dhaka Declaration, 1999.
- III.Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal are founding member States of BIMSTEC.
- IV.In BIMSTEC, the subsector of 'tourism' is being led by India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Answer: D. Statement I is correct: BIMSTEC has seven members (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand). Statement II is wrong: it was formed by the Bangkok Declaration of 1997. Statement III is wrong: Nepal (and Bhutan) joined in 2004; the founders were Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Statement IV is wrong per the key: after the 2022 restructuring into seven sectors India leads Security, while tourism falls under the People-to-People Contact sector led by Nepal.
Watch for: 'Dhaka' looks right because the BIMSTEC Secretariat is in Dhaka, but the founding declaration was in Bangkok.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Statement II is wrong: it was the Bangkok Declaration, 1997.
- B. Both II and III are wrong.
- C. Statement IV is wrong per the official key.
Source to check: BIMSTEC official website (bimstec.org, 'History' and 'Areas of Cooperation'); MEA brief on BIMSTEC.
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.