Pariksha SaathiIndia to Host the First-Ever BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on 13 October
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on 12 October 2026 that India would host the first-ever meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers in New Delhi on 13 October 2026, and welcomed the visiting ministers and member-state delegations. In a post on X, which the Home Ministry carried in its release, he called the gathering historic and said it reflected a shared resolve to fight terrorism, transnational organised crime, narcotics, radicalisation, trafficking, illicit financial flows and cyber threats. He added that through closer coordination the member countries want to make the BIMSTEC region safer and more secure. BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) has seven members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, and security is one of its recognised areas of cooperation. Because this is the first meeting of the grouping's home ministers, aspirants should note it under both regional groupings and internal security cooperation, and keep an eye out for any joint statement or outcome document from the meeting.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
BIMSTEC was established on 6 June 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration by Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, under the name BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation). Myanmar joined on 22 December 1997, and Bhutan and Nepal were admitted in 2004. The grouping took its present name, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, at its First Summit in Bangkok on 31 July 2004. Its Secretariat is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Reference: BIMSTEC official website, History
Check yourself: which countries signed the 1997 Bangkok Declaration that founded the grouping, and was Myanmar one of them?
Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand signed it on 6 June 1997. Myanmar was not an original signatory; it joined later, on 22 December 1997.
Revision task: write down the seven BIMSTEC members in the order they joined, and note which security threats the Home Minister listed for this first Home Ministers' meeting.
Test yourself
How many member countries does BIMSTEC have, whose first-ever Home Ministers' Meeting India hosted in New Delhi on 13 October 2026?
Show the answer
Answer: Seven
BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) has seven members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
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