India will continue to participate in Bay of Bengal Programme

New Delhi, Mar 18 (ANI): The Government of India has approved the proposal of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture for continuation of India's participation in the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organization (BOBP-IGO) beyond April 2008.

The BOBP-IGO has been functioning in India since April 2003 with its headquarters at Chennai.

Presently, Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka are the members of the BOBP-IGO.

The BOBP-IGO has played a stellar role in the sustainable development of fisheries in the Bay of Bengal region.

Its contributions to the marine fisheries sector have been manifold and range from introduction of new technologies to human resource development and valuable inputs into the policies and programmes of the Member-countries.

It has established its position as a regional fisheries body of repute in the international arena.

India will continue to annually contribute US 60000 dollars in equivalent rupees besides hosting the headquarters of the BOBP-IGO at Chennai, Tamil Nadu and meeting its cost at Rs. 26.00 lakh per annum. (ANI)