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Minister of State ( MoS ) for External Affairs and Education Rajkumar Ranjan Singh ceremonially handed over a cheque of USD 1 million for the BIMSTEC Secretariat’s operational budget. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretary General Tenzin Lekphell also held discussions on rapidly taking forward cooperation in specific areas led by India including counter-terrorism, disaster management, maritime cooperation and energy security. BIMSTEC comprises 7 member states (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand) which are littoral to, or dependent upon the Bay of Bengal. During the last BIMSTEC Summit hosted by Sri Lanka, Leaders adopted and signed the BIMSTEC Charter completing its evolution into a full-fledged regional organization with a distinct international legal personality. Founded: 6 June 1997 Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh