in which among the following country the Sixth Conference of the
Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians was held-----
[B]Pakistan

Need to establish South Asian power trading market: CERC

India’s power sector regulator Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has suggested establishing a South Asian power trading market to help alleviate acute electricity deficits faced by many nations in the region.
It recommended that a SAARC sub regional power trading market will be beneficial to member nations. It will enhance benefits of competition and efficiency through trading on power exchanges.
Such a market would assist in trading electricity b/w India and other countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, Pakistan.
Energy demand in the SAARC region is projected to grow at an annual rate of 5%.
India has power transmission links with Bhutan and Nepal while negotiations are on for similar lines with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

About Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC)

A key regulator of power sector in India
Statutory body functioning with quasi-judicial status under sec – 76 of the Electricity Act 2003
Initially constituted on 24 July 1998 under the Ministry of Power’s Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998 for rationalization of electricity tariffs, transparent policies regarding subsidies, promotion of efficient and environmentally benign policies, and for matters connected Electricity Tariff regulation.

Objectives:
The Commission intends to promote competition, efficiency and economy in bulk power markets, improve the quality of supply, promote investments and advise government on the removal of institutional barriers to bridge the demand supply gap and thus foster the interests of consumers. In pursuit of these objectives the Commission aims to –

Improve the operations and management of the regional transmission systems through Indian Electricity Grid Code (IEGC), Availability Based Tariff (ABT), etc.
Formulate an efficient tariff setting mechanism, which ensures speedy and time bound disposal of tariff petitions, promotes competition, economy and efficiency in the pricing of bulk power and transmission services and ensures least cost investments.
Facilitate open access in inter-state transmission
Facilitate inter-state trading
Promote development of power market
Improve access to information for all stakeholders.
Facilitate technological and institutional changes required for the development of competitive markets in bulk power and transmission services.
Advise on the removal of barriers to entry and exit for capital and management, within the limits of environmental, safety and security concerns and the existing legislative requirements, as the first step to the creation of competitive markets.

SAARC

SAARC UNIVERSITY IS IN DELHI

SAARC Summit. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

Current members

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Maldives

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

[edit]Observers

Australia^[8]

China

European Union^[9]

Japan^[9]

Iran

Mauritius^[10]

Myanmar

South Korea

United States

[edit]Others

South Africa has participated in meetings.^[11]

[edit]Secretaries-General of SAARC

Abul Ahsan	January 16, 1987 to 15 October 1989
Kishore Kant Bhargava	October 17, 1989 to December 31, 1991
Ibrahim Hussain Zaki	January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1993
Yadav Kant Silwal	January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1995
Naeem U. Hasan	January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998
Nihal Rodrigo	January 1, 1999 to January 10, 2002
Q.A.M.A. Rahim	January 11, 2002 to February 28, 2005
Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji	March 1, 2005 to February 29, 2008
Sheel Kant Sharma	March 1, 2008 to February 28, 2011
Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed	March 1, 2011 to March, 2012
Ahmed Saleem	March, 2012 to present

[edit]SAARC summits

No	Date	Country	Host	Host leader
1st	7–8 December 1985	Bangladesh	Dhaka	Ataur Rahman Khan
2nd	16–17 November 1986	India	Bangalore	Rajiv Gandhi
3rd	2–4 November 1987	Nepal	Kathmandu	Marich Man Singh Shrestha
4th	29–31 December 1988	Pakistan	Islamabad	Benazir Bhutto
5th	21–23 November 1990	Maldives	Malé	Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
6th	21 December 1991	Sri Lanka	Colombo	Dingiri Banda Wijetunge
7th	10-11 April 1993	Bangladesh	Dhaka	Khaleda Zia
8th	2–4 May 1995	India	New Delhi	P. V. Narasimha Rao
9th	12–14 May 1997	Maldives	Malé	Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
10th	29–31 July 1998	Sri Lanka	Colombo	Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike
11th	4–6 January 2002	Nepal	Kathmandu	Sher Bahadur Deuba
12th	2–6 January 2004	Pakistan	Islamabad	Zafarullah Khan Jamali
13th	12–13 November 2005	Bangladesh	Dhaka	Khaleda Zia
14th	3–4 April 2007	India	New Delhi	Manmohan Singh
15th	1–3 August 2008	Sri Lanka	Colombo	Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
16th	28–29 April 2010	Bhutan	Thimphu	Jigme Thinley
17th	10-11 November 2011^[12]	Maldives	Addu	Mohamed Nasheed
18th	2013 ^[13]	Nepal	Kathmandu	Baburam Bhattarai

16TH SAARC SUMMIT-----THIMPU

BURMA NOT A MEMBER OF SAARC

FIRST SUMMIT OF SAARC----DHAKA

SAARC Agricultural scientists meet in Karnal, Haryana
A 10-day convention of agricultural scientists from SAARC nations commenced in Karnal, Haryana.
Objective: To discuss the issues relating to increasing milk production, processing, quality control,
marketing and food security in the SAARC nations.

The 5th Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians
The 5th Conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians to commence in
New Delhi
Almost 130 delegates, observers and additional persons from the eight SAARC countries to attend
the four day Conference
Afghanistan, which joined SAARC in 2007 as its eighth member, joins the Conference formally for
the first time

First summit

The first summit was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 7–8 December 1985, and was attended by the presidents of Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the kings of Bhutan and Nepal, and the prime minister of India.^[1] They signed the SAARC Charter on 8 December 1985, thereby establishing the regional association, and established study groups on the problems of terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as planning a ministerial-level meeting about GATT, and a ministerial-level conference on increasing the participation of women at the regional level.^[1] The summit also agreed to establish a SAARC secretariat and adopted an official SAARC emblem.^[1]

[edit]Second summit

The second summit was held in November 16-17 Bangalore, India in 1986. The Heads of State or Government welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the SAARC Secretariat by the Council of Ministers and their decision to locate the Secretariat in Kathmandu and appoint Ambassador Abul Ahsan of Bangladesh as the first Secretary-General of SAARC.

[edit]Third summit

The third summit was held in Kathmandu, Nepal on 2–4 November 1987, and was attended by the presidents of Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, and the kings of Bhutan and Nepal.^[2] The foreign ministers of the member states signed the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and an agreement to establish a South Asian Food Reserve.^[2]

[edit]Fourth summit

The fourth summit was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on 29–31 December 1988 and was attended by the presidents of Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, and the kings of Bhutan and Nepal.^[3] The summit discussed the coup attempt on 3 November 1988, declared 1989 to be the "SAARC Year Against Drug Abuse", declared 1990 to be the "SAARC Year of the Girl Child", set up a technical committee on education, and launched a regional plan called "SAARC-2000-A Basic Needs Perspective" to meet specific targets by the end of the twentieth century in areas such as food, shelter, education and environmental protection.^[3] It was also agreed to hold regular "South Asian Festivals" with the first being hosted by India.^[3]

[edit]Fifth summit

The fifth summit was held in Malé, Maldives on 21–23 November 1990 and was attended by the presidents of Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, the prime ministers of India, Nepal and Pakistan, and the king of Bhutan.^[4] The leaders signed the SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, launched the Special SAARC Travel Document (providing visa-exemptions for national judges, parliamentarians and academics and their immediate families), launched a Scheme for the Promotion of Organised Tourism, authorized the SAARC secretariat to share information and exchange reports, studies and publications with the European Community and the Association of South East Asian Nations, declared various SAARC years (1991-2000 AD) to be the "SAARC Decade of the Girl Child", 1991 to be the "SAARC Year of Shelter", 1992 to be the "SAARC Year of the Environment", 1993 to be the "SAARC Year of Disabled Persons", and decided to set up the SAARC Tuberculosis Centre in Nepal and the SAARC Documentation Centre in India.^[4]

[edit]Sixth summit

The sixth summit was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 21 December 1991 and was attended by the prime ministers of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, the presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, and the king of Bhutan.^[5]

[edit]Seventh summit

The seventh summit was held in Dhaka, on 10–11 April 1993, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, the prime ministers of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, and the king of Bhutan.^[6]

[edit]Eighth summit

The eighth summit was held in New Delhi, on 2–4 May 1995, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the prime ministers of Bangladesh, India and Nepal, and the king of Bhutan.^[7]

[edit]Ninth summit

The ninth summit was held in Malé, on 12–14 May 1997, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, the prime ministers of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, and the king of Bhutan.^[8]

[edit]Tenth summit

The tenth summit was held in Colombo, on 29–31 July 1998, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka and the prime ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan.^[9]

[edit]Eleventh summit

The eleventh summit was held in Kathmandu, on 4–6 January 2002, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the prime ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.^[10]

[edit]Twelfth summit

The twelfth summit was held in Islamabad, on 4–6 January 2004, and was attended by the presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka and the prime ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan.^[11]

[edit]Thirteenth summit

The thirteenth summit was held in Dhaka, on 12–13 November 2005, and was attended by the prime ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Pakistan, the presidents of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, and the king of Nepal^[12]

[edit]Fourteenth summit

The fourteenth summit of SAARC was held in New Delhi, on 3rd-4 April 2007, and was attended by the presidents of Afghanistan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka and the prime ministers Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan and the chief adviser of the government of Bangladesh.

[edit]Fifteenth summit

The fifteenth summit of SAARC was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 1–3 August 2008. The issues discussed were regional cooperation, partnership for growth for the peoples of South Asia, connectivity, energy, the environment, water resources, poverty alleviation, the SAARC Development Fund, transport, information and communications technology development, science and technology, tourism, culture, the South Asian Free Trade Area, the SAARC Social Charter, women and children, education, combating terrorism, and the admission of Australia and Myanamar as observers.

[edit]Food security

At the summit, one of the major points of discussion was the global food crisis. The SAARC heads of government made a statement saying "in view of the emerging global situation of reduced food availability and worldwide rise in food prices, we direct that an Extra-ordinary Meeting of the Agriculture Ministers of the SAARC Member States be convened in New Delhi, India in November 2008, to evolve and implement people-centred short to medium term regional strategy and collaborative projects." They also acknowledged the need to forge greater cooperation with the international community to ensure the food availability and nutrition security.^[13]

[edit]Sixteenth summit

The sixteenth summit was held in Thimpu, Bhutan on 28–29 April 2010. Bhutan hosted the SAARC summit for the first time. This was marked the silver jubilee celebration of SAARC that was formed in Bangladesh in December 1985. Climate change was the central issue of the summit with summit's theme "Towards a Green and Happy South Asia". Outcome of Thimpu Summit regarding climate change issue:

SAARC leaders signed a SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment to tackle the problem of climate change.^[14]
The SAARC nations also pledged to plant 10 million trees over the next 5 years.
India proposed setting up of climate innovation centres in South Asia to develop sustainable energy technologies.
India offered services of India's mission on sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem to the SAARC member states saying that the initiative could serve as a nucleus for regional cooperation in this vital area.
India announced "India endowment for climate change" in South Asia to help member states meet their urgent adaption and capacity building needs posed by the climate change.
The seven-page ‘Thimphu Silver Jubilee Declaration-Towards a Green and Happy South Asia’ emphasised the importance of reducing dependence on high-carbon technologies for economic growth and hoped promotion of climate resilience will promote both development and poverty eradication in a sustainable manner.

[edit]Seventeenth summit

The Seventeenth Summit was held from 10-11 of November 2011 in Addu City, Maldives. The Meeting, which was held at the Equatorial Convention Centre, Addu City was opened by the outgoing Chair of SAARC, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Bhutan, H.E.Lyonchhen Jigmi Yoezer Thinley.

SAPTA was envisaged primarily as the first step towards the transition to a South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) leading subsequently towards a Customs Union, Common Market and Economic Union. In 1995, the Sixteenth session of the Council of Ministers (New Delhi, 18-19 December 1995) agreed on the need to strive for the realization of SAFTA and to this end an Inter-Governmental Expert Group (IGEG) was set up in 1996 to identify the necessary steps for progressing to a free trade area. The Tenth SAARC Summit (Colombo, 29-31 July 1998) decided to set up a Committee of Experts (COE) to draft a comprehensive treaty framework for creating a free trade area within the region, taking into consideration the asymmetries in development within the region and bearing in mind the need to fix realistic and achievable targets.

The SAFTA Agreement was signed on 6 January 2004 during Twelfth SAARC Summit held in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2006, and the Trade Liberalization Programme commenced from 1^stJuly 2006. Following the Agreement coming into force the SAFTA Ministerial Council (SMC) has been established comprising the Commerce Ministers of the Member States. To assist the SMC, a SAFTA Committee of Experts (SCOE) has been formed. SCOE is expected to submit its report to SMC every six months. The SAFTA Agreement states that the “the SMC shall meet at least once every year or more oftenas and when considered necessary by the Contracting States. Each Contracting State shall chair the SMC for a period of one year on rotational basis in alphabetical order.” The Meetings of SMC and SCOE held so far are:

MEETINGS OF SAFTA COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS

1.	First Meeting of the SAFTA Committee of Experts	Dhaka, 18-19 April 2006
2.	Second Meeting of the SAFTA Committee of Experts	SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu, 24-25 February 2007
3.	Third Meeting of the SAFTA Committee of Experts	New Delhi, 1-2 March 2008
4.	Fourth Meeting of the SAFTA Committee of Experts	SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu 4-5 November 2008
5.	Fifth Meeting of SAFTA Committee of Experts	Kathmandu, 26-27 Oct 2009
6.	Sixth Meeting of SAFTA Committee of Experts	Maldives, 11-12 June 2011
7.	Special Meeting of SAFTA Committee of Experts	SAARC Secretariat, 23 September 2011 (proposed)
8.	Seventh Meeting of SAFTA Committee of Experts	Pakistan, first quarter of 2012

MEETINGS OF SAFTA MINISTERIAL COUNCIL

1.	First Meeting of the SAFTA Ministerial Council	Dhaka, 20 April 2006
2.	Second Meeting of the SAFTA Ministerial Council	SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu, 26 February 2007
3.	Third Meeting of the SAFTA Ministerial Council	New Delhi, 3 March 2008
4.	Fourth Meeting of the SAFTA Ministerial Council	Kathmandu, 28 Oct 2009
5.	Fifth Meeting of the SAFTA Ministerial Council	Maldives, 13 June 2011
5.	Sixth Meeting of the SAFTA Ministerial Council	Pakistan, first quarter of 2012

gen know

Tuesday, 18 September 2012

saarc