Mains Marathon

Approach:

• Briefly explain BIMSTEC as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia.
• Evaluate its strategic importance for India’s Act East and Neighbourhood First policies.
• Conclude with a suitable way forward.

Introduction:

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)—comprising India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka—serves as a vital regional platform connecting South and Southeast Asia. Its unique geography and shared interests align closely with India’s Act East and Neighbourhood First policies, making it a natural bridge for regional cooperation.

Body :

Strategic Importance for the Act East Policy:

• The Bay of Bengal is home to 22% of the world’s population, representing a significant economic and maritime zone.
• BIMSTEC bypasses the geopolitical limitations of SAARC, especially Pakistan’s obstructionism, and allows for smoother subregional integratio.n
• BIMSTEC connects India to Myanmar and Thailand, key ASEAN members, furthering the Act East Policy’s goal of deeper Southeast Asian integration.
• It also complements India’s vision of a rules-based Indo-Pacific.
• Projects like the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway and Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project are vital for land and sea connectivity.
• The BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity (2022) outlines over 200 priority infrastructure projects, many led b

India leverages BIMSTEC to reinforce its Neighbourhood First Policy:

• India-Bangladesh energy grid interconnection, and hydropower cooperation with Bhutan and Nepal, are facilitated under BIMSTEC’s energy pillar.
• India introduced BODHI Program (BIMSTEC for Organized Development of Human Resource Infrastructure) for skill development, providing training, scholarships, and capacity-building for various professionals across BIMSTEC nations.
• India’s decision to host the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate in Noida enhances regional cooperation on disaster resilience.
• The BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise (2020), hosted by India’s NDRF, showcased regional readiness for humanitarian response.
• Shared initiatives in counter-terrorism and cybersecurity are growing under India’s lead.
• India announced initiatives to strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties, including, BIMSTEC Athletics Meet (2025), First BIMSTEC Games (2027), marking the group's 30th anniversary, BIMSTEC Traditional Music Festival, Young Leaders’ Summit and Hackathon for youth engagement, Young Professional Visitors Program to deepen cultural cooperation.

Challenges:

• Weak institutional structure and understaffed BIMSTEC Secretariat (Dhaka).
• Implementation delays in infrastructure projects due to political instability (e.g., Myanmar) and funding gaps.
• Overlapping regional forums dilute focus and resources.

Conclusion:

The 6th BIMSTEC Summit marked a significant step forward by adopting the Bangkok Vision 2030, which sets out a clear roadmap for regional prosperity. It emphasizes economic integration, infrastructure development, technological collaboration, and resilience to global challenges. With sustained political will, institutional strengthening, and timely implementation, BIMSTEC can emerge as a key pillar of regional stability, seamless connectivity, and sustainable economic growth in the Bay of Bengal region.