New Delhi, May 1 -- India hosted a week-long BIMSTEC Youth Leadership Exchange Programme from April 25 to 30, bringing together more than 70 young leaders from the seven member countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Ministry of External Affairs said.

According to a statement issued on Friday, the programme was organised by the MEA in association with Art Of Living in Bangalore, Karnataka and in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The initiative was launched to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok last year, aimed at strengthening youth exchanges across the Bay of Bengal region.

The MEA said the programme focused on "structured lea...