Opening the meeting, Dr P. Krishnan, Director, BOBP-IGO presented an overview of BOBP activities and current plans for strengthening networking. Dr. Cherdsak Virapat, Director General, CIRDAP indicated the areas of interest of CIRDAP viz., blue economy, empowerment of rural women and e-commerce for rural entrepreneurs, etc. Highlighting the presence of multiple regional bodies in the Bay of Bengal region with overlapping mandate, he stressed the need for complementary action to avoid duplication of work and efficient resource utilization. BOBP & CIRDAP agreed to work on select programs together leveraging their mutual strengths.
