Evaluate India's role as a 'first responder' in regional disaster management and its significance for its neighbourhood policy.

At the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting (October 2026), Home Minister Amit Shah called India the region's "first responder" to disasters [1]. India's fast relief work in a neighbourhood hit often by cyclones and earthquakes largely bears out the claim. However, the regional institutions meant to support this role are still weak.

Strengths of India's first-responder role

• Speed: India launched Operation Brahma within a day of Myanmar's March 2025 earthquake. It sent a 118-member Army medical team and a 60-bed treatment centre [2].
• Maritime reach: Under Operation Sagar Bandhu, naval ships including INS Vikrant delivered relief to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah (November 2025) [3].
• Institutional lead: India leads BIMSTEC's Security pillar, which includes Disaster Management. It hosts the BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate (BCWC), Noida, which shares regional weather data [4]. A Disaster Management Centre has been proposed at Jamnagar [1].
• Military backing: The Chief of Defence Staff has said India is emerging as a first responder in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) [5].

Limitations

• Slow institutions: The Jamnagar centre is still only a proposal. The BIMSTEC Charter took over two years to come into force (2022–24) [4].
• Mostly one-off operations: Most relief is bilateral and arranged case by case. BIMSTEC has no standing joint procedure for disaster response.
• Perception of dominance: India hosts the main regional centres, so smaller members may see the agenda as India-driven [1][4].
• Imbalanced priorities: BIMSTEC trade talks were still unfinished in 2024 [6]. Goodwill from relief work is not yet matched by economic gains that neighbours value.

Significance for neighbourhood policy

• Neighbourhood First: Visible help in a crisis builds trust among people, beyond relations between governments.
• Regional cooperation: With SAARC largely inactive, BIMSTEC links South Asia with South-East Asia and supports Act East [4].
• "Whole of Region" approach: Shah said the security of one member strengthens the whole region [1]. Disaster relief puts this into practice.
• Strategic presence: Quick relief means India, not an outside power, is the first partner neighbours turn to in an emergency.

Overall, India's speed and capacity make it a credible first responder and give real substance to its neighbourhood policy. To keep this role, India should quickly set up the Jamnagar centre, create joint BIMSTEC disaster procedures, and deliver on neighbours' economic priorities. This would turn one-off goodwill into lasting partnership in line with the Sendai Framework and SDG 11 (resilient cities and communities).