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Q64 (IAS/2015) International Relations & Global Affairs › International Organisations & Groupings › Intergovernmental groupings Official Key

In the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, an initiative of six countries, which of the following is/are not a participant/participants? 1. Bangladesh 2. Cambodia 3. China 4. Myanmar 5. Thailand Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Result
Your answer: —  Âˇ  Correct: C
Explanation

The Mekong Ganga Cooperation is a multilateral initiative of 5 ASEAN countries along with India, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.[1] This means the six member countries are India, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

From the options given, we need to identify which countries are NOT participants. Bangladesh is not mentioned among the member countries, so it is not a participant. Similarly, China is not listed as a member. However, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand are explicitly mentioned as participants.[1]

Therefore, among the countries listed in the question, Bangladesh (option 1) and China (option 3) are NOT participants in the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, while Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand are participants. This makes option C (1 and 3) the correct answer.

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Q. In the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, an initiative of six countries, which of the following is/are not a participant/participants? 1. Bangla…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 ¡ 10/10
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This is a classic 'Membership Trap' question. The name 'Mekong-Ganga' is designed to mislead you: 'Ganga' suggests Bangladesh (Padma) and 'Mekong' suggests China (Lancang). Both are geographically valid but politically excluded. This tests your specific knowledge of the grouping's mandate (India + ASEAN 5) rather than just geographic common sense.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is Bangladesh a participant in the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation initiative of six countries?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The Mekong Ganga Corporation is a multilateral initiative of 5 ASEAN countries along with India, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly defines the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation as a multilateral initiative of 5 ASEAN countries plus India (six countries).
  • Lists the five ASEAN members (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam), which does not include Bangladesh, implying Bangladesh is not a member.
Web source
Presence: 3/5
"In the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation, an initiative of six countries, which of the following is/are not a participant/ participants? 1. Bangladesh 2. Cambodia 3. China 4. Myanmar 5. Thailand"
Why this source?
  • Presents a multiple-choice question about the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (an initiative of six countries) asking which listed countries are not participants, with Bangladesh included among the 'not a participant' options.
  • This supports the interpretation that Bangladesh is not considered a participant in the six-country grouping.

Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Contemporary South Asia > India and its Other Neighbours > p. 39
Strength: 4/5
“The two countries could not resolve their boundary dispute for a long while. Despite their differences, India and Bangladesh do cooperate on many issues. Economic relations have improved considerably in the last 20 years. Bangladesh is a part of India's Look East (Act East since 2014) policy that wants to link up with Southeast Asia via Myanmar. On disaster management and environmental issues, the two states have cooperated regularly. In 2015, they exchanged certain enclaves. Efforts are on to broaden the areas of cooperation further by identifying common threats and being more sensitive to each other's needs. Nepal and India enjoy a very special relationship that has very few parallels in the world.”
Why relevant

Notes that Bangladesh is included in India's Act East/Look East efforts to link South Asia with Southeast Asia, implying Bangladesh is considered a connector in sub‑regional initiatives.

How to extend

A student could use a regional map and lists of sub‑regional groupings to see if Bangladesh is commonly included among initiatives bridging South and Southeast Asia (like Mekong–Ganga) and then check the MGC membership list.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 16: India–Political Aspects > Kolkata-Kunming Corridor-A Proposed Highway > p. 81
Strength: 4/5
“acquired a fresh momentum under the theme of sub-regional cooperation. The route of this corridor passes through nodal points, such as Mandaly, Lashio and Kalewa in Myanmar. It heads towards Kolkata after passing through Imphal (Manipur) and Silchar (Assam), before crossing Bangladesh via Sylhet and Dhaka, with branches extending to the ports of Cox's-Bazar and Chittagong (Fig. 16.17). Dr. Ren pointed out that ethnic insurgencies, terrorism, communal violence (involving Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar) drugtrafficking and the accompanying spread of HIV infections, antiques smuggling as well as cross-border human trafficking, threatened to derail the project. The Leading Chinese scholars have proposed setting up a security mechanism and accelerating a legal dialogue among Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar.”
Why relevant

Describes the Kolkata–Kunming corridor route crossing Bangladesh, showing Bangladesh's geographic and policy role in sub‑regional connectivity projects between South and Southeast Asia.

How to extend

One could infer Bangladesh's participation tendency in connectivity initiatives and then verify if such tendencies extend to membership of Mekong–Ganga Cooperation by comparing corridor participants with MGC members.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 3: The Drainage System of India > 2. The Brahmaputra-Ganga Link Canal > p. 43
Strength: 3/5
“The 'Brahmaputra-Ganga Link Canal' Project involves the construction of a diversion barrage at Dhubri (Lower Assam), and a 320 km long feeder canal linking the Dhubri Barrage to the Farakka Barrage. A portion of this feeder canal will lie in Bangladesh for which an interenational agreement between India and Bangladesh has to be signed. This canal will provide irrigatioin water to Bangladesh also. The canal may augment the flow of water in the Padma River (Ganga in Bangladesh) during the lean months of the year. Besides, the link canal would provide cheap inland navigation facility to both the countries. Due to lack of concurrence from Bangladesh and involvement of huge financial expenditure, the scheme has not yet been started.”
Why relevant

Discusses an international canal project where a feeder canal portion lies in Bangladesh, illustrating Bangladesh's involvement in multilateral river/cooperation agreements related to Ganga/Brahmaputra systems.

How to extend

A student could combine this pattern (Bangladesh participates in river/cooperation projects tied to the Ganga) with knowledge that the MGC links Ganga and Mekong basins to judge whether Bangladesh’s river‑link role makes it a plausible MGC participant, then check membership.

Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Contemporary South Asia > Peace and Cooperation > p. 44
Strength: 3/5
“• a) All the countries in South Asia are democratic.• b) Bangladesh and India have signed an agreement on river-water sharing.• c) SAFTA was signed at the 12th SAARC Summit in Islamabad.• d) The US and China play an influential role in South Asian politics.• 3. What are some of the commonalities and differences between Bangladesh and Pakistan in their democratic experiences?• 4. List three challenges to democracy in Nepal.• 5. Name the principal players in the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. How do you assess the prospects of the resolution of this conflict?• 6. Mention some of the recent agreements between India and Pakistan.”
Why relevant

Lists examples of regional cooperation (e.g., SAFTA, river‑water sharing) showing South Asian states commonly enter multilateral cooperative frameworks.

How to extend

Use this pattern—South Asian states frequently join regional initiatives—to motivate checking whether Bangladesh has joined the specific six‑country Mekong–Ganga Cooperation grouping.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

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CAPF ¡ 2022 ¡ Q125 Relevance score: -0.65

Which of the following sets of nations are members of the BIMSTEC Initiative?

CDS-II ¡ 2014 ¡ Q66 Relevance score: -0.96

Consider the following statements on Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC): 1. BIMSTEC has seven members - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myan- mar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. 2. BIMSTEC provides a link between South Asia and South East Asia by way of economic cooperation and linkages in identified areas of cooperation. 3. BIMSTEC was rechristened as BISTEC in the year 201 4. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

CDS-I ¡ 2018 ¡ Q63 Relevance score: -2.07

Which of the following statements about the Non-Cooperation Movement is/are correct? 1. It was marked by significant participation of peasants from Karnataka. 2. It was marked by non-Brahmin lower caste participation in Madras and Maharashtra. 3. It was marked by the lack of labour unrest in places like Assam, Bengal and Madras. 4. It was badly shaken by the Chauri Chaura incident in 1922 after which Gandhiji decided to continue with the movement on a much smaller scale. Select the correct answer using the code given below.