Question: What is the number of SAARC members currently?
(a) 9
(b) 8
(c) 7
(d) 10
Ans: (b)
Related Fact:
- The two-day Meeting of the 53rd Session of the SAARC Programming Committee was held in Kathmandu on 1st -2nd February, 2017.
- All SAARC Member States participated in the Meeting.
- The Meeting delegations were led by Joint Secretaries of the Ministries of External Affairs of the SAARC Member States.
- The meeting will deliberate on SAARC’s activities since mid-April 2016, operation of the SAARC Secretariat and the budget for the next year.
- As one of the Charter bodies entrusted primarily with the responsibility to deal with the administrative and financial matters of the SAARC Secretariat and its Bodies, the Committee also considered the reports emanating from the various SAARC Bodies.
- The meeting will mark the beginning of the annual calendar of events of the organisation which failed to meet in Islamabad for a summit in 2016.
- SAARC is regional inter-governmental organization and a geopolitical union in South Asia. It promotes economical development and regional integration.
- SAARC has currently 8 members which are- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
- SAARC comprises 3% of the world’s area, 21% of the world’s population and 3.8% (US$ 2.9 trillion) of the global economy, as of 2015.
- SAARC was founded in Dhaka on 8th December, 1985. Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Reference:
http://saarc-sec.org/press-releases/53rd-Session-of-the-Programming-Committee/128/
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Kathmandu-meet-to-finalise-SAARC-budget-agenda/article17124647.ece/amp/