UPSC Prelims 2026 Q72: BIMSTEC Centres and Their Locations — Explained
Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists:
List I (BIMSTEC Centre/Establishment) — List II (Location)
A. BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory
B. BIMSTEC Energy Centre
C. BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate
D. BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility
List II: 1. NOIDA 2. Bengaluru 3. Colombo 4. Thimphu
- A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
- A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
- A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3
- A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3
Answer: (c) A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3
Statement-wise explanation
- A: incorrect — The BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory (BCIO) is in Thimphu, Bhutan, not Colombo. It came out of Bhutan's Paro Initiative on cultural industries. The MoU setting up the BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Commission and the Observatory was signed at the Third BIMSTEC Summit in Nay Pyi Taw on 4 March 2014. The correct match is A-4.
- B: correct — The BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) is in Bengaluru. It is housed at the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI). India hosted the first meeting of its Governing Board in Bengaluru on 27 February 2023. At that meeting the CEA Chairperson was named its first Executive Director. B-2 is right.
- C: correct — The BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate (BCWC) is at the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) in NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh. Its Memorandum of Association was signed at the Third BIMSTEC Summit on 4 March 2014. India and the BIMSTEC Secretariat signed the Host Country Agreement on 24 August 2023. C-1 is right.
- D: incorrect — The BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility (TTF) is in Colombo, Sri Lanka, not Thimphu. Its Memorandum of Association was signed at the Fifth BIMSTEC Summit, held virtually under Sri Lanka's chairship, on 30 March 2022. The Union Cabinet approved it in June 2022. The correct match is D-3.
How to eliminate
The options are built in pairs. A and D are matched only with 3 (Colombo) or 4 (Thimphu). B and C are matched only with 1 (NOIDA) or 2 (Bengaluru). So the question is really two either-or choices: which Indian city has which centre, and which foreign capital has which centre. One fact from each pair is enough. For the Indian pair, NOIDA is home to NCMRWF, India's medium-range weather forecasting centre under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. That makes the weather centre the natural fit for NOIDA and leaves Bengaluru (home of CPRI, the power research institute) for energy. For the foreign pair, Bhutan has long promoted culture and cultural industries in BIMSTEC through the Paro Initiative, so the cultural observatory fits Thimphu. That leaves Colombo for technology transfer, which was agreed at the 2022 summit Sri Lanka chaired. Basic knowledge does not settle it beyond this. Remember the four pairs: Weather–NOIDA (NCMRWF), Energy–Bengaluru (CPRI), Culture–Thimphu, Technology Transfer–Colombo.
Know more
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was founded by the Bangkok Declaration of 6 June 1997. It has seven members: five from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka) and two from Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand). Its permanent Secretariat is in Dhaka. The BIMSTEC Charter was adopted at the Fifth Summit in 2022, which Sri Lanka chaired. The Sixth Summit (Bangkok, 4 April 2025) adopted the Bangkok Vision 2030 and a Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement.
BIMSTEC runs some of its cooperation through dedicated centres, each hosted by one member:
| Centre | Host city | Host institution / origin |
|---|---|---|
| BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate (BCWC) | NOIDA, India | NCMRWF; MoA signed 2014 (3rd Summit) |
| BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) | Bengaluru, India | CPRI; first Governing Board meeting Feb 2023 |
| BIMSTEC Cultural Industries Observatory (BCIO) | Thimphu, Bhutan | Paro Initiative; MoU signed 2014 (3rd Summit) |
| BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility (TTF) | Colombo, Sri Lanka | MoA signed 30 March 2022 (5th Summit) |
| BIMSTEC Secretariat | Dhaka, Bangladesh | Opened 2014 |
Why the hosts matter: each centre usually sits with a member's existing national institution. NCMRWF already runs India's medium-range forecasts. CPRI is India's main power-sector testing and research body.
The TTF's priority areas include biotechnology, nanotechnology, ICT, space applications, agri and food-processing technology, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, oceanography, and disaster-risk-reduction technologies.
Exam angle: UPSC rotates between members, Secretariat location, summit venues and centre locations. Learn the table above with the summit at which each agreement was signed.
In the news
BIMSTEC was in the news after the Sixth Summit in Bangkok (April 2025). That summit adopted the Bangkok Vision 2030, and Prime Minister Modi announced a list of new BIMSTEC initiatives there. The 2023 operational milestones for the India-hosted Energy and Weather centres (first BEC Governing Board meeting; BCWC Host Country Agreement) make centre locations a natural static-plus-current question.