What is SAARC and its Objectives?

SAARC stands for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It is a regional multilateral organisation formed by countries located in the South Asian Region. Some of the main objectives of SAARC are listed below.

1. To increase collaboration among South Asian Nations in the spheres of economy, social, cultural, scientific and technological domains.
2. Conduct conventions, frame protocols and sign agreements to realize the objectives.

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What are the Effective Steps Taken by India in the Recent Past to Achieve the Objectives of SAARC?

To achieve the objectives of SAARC, India has taken credible steps to assist the nations of South Asia in the following areas which are listed below.

1. Offered to set up a Special Purpose Facility to finance infrastructure projects.
2. SAARC Supra Reference Laboratory at Kathmandu would be upgraded.
3. Vaccines would be supplied to protect the health of children in South Asia.
4. Launch of SAARC satellite for South Asia in 2017.
5. Building of South Asian University at the cost USD 240 million.
6. Voluntary contribution of US $ 100 million to the SAARC development fund.

What are the Challenges facing SAARC?

Some of the challenges are listed below

1. Security in the region
2. Low intra-regional trade.
3. Development of people in rural areas. More than 1 billion people in the SAARC region live in rural areas.
4. Low physical, electronic and knowledge connectivity among SAARC nations.

Where is the Headquarters of SAARC located?

SAARC is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. SAARC was established in 1985 at Dhaka, Bangladesh. SAARC has 8 nations as its members and there are 9 observers. The 8th member to join SAARC was Afghanistan in 2007. 

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2020.

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