"The committee is preparing a report that will be put up for review at tomorrow's Standing Committee meeting, comprising South Asian foreign secretaries," said Navtej Sarna, spokesman for the Indian external affairs ministry, at a briefing.

He said the committee, comprising the heads of the member states' South Asia directorates, reviewed a number of reports prepared by a number of Saarc expert and working groups on energy, health and human development.

Representatives from Afghanistan, Saarc's newest member, attended the committee meeting for the first time as special attendees.

Chaired by Preeti Saran, joint secretary of the Indian external affairs ministry, the committee reviewed the Saarc expert group report on the Regional Telemedicine Network, which would link up two hospitals from each South Asian country through satellite.

India, who proposed the network at the 13th Saarc Summit in Dhaka, will set up the satellites that will cover the entire region, said Sarna.

The committee also reviewed the report by the expert group on establishing a South Asian University, proposed by India in 2005.

India decided to provide Rs 25 million for upgrading the Saarc Secretariat in Kathmandu, Sarna said.

The committee also finalised the modalities of the Saarc Museum of Textile and Handicrafts that will start running from a temporary location in Delhi from November 2007. A permanent location would be fixed after further meetings.

The committee also discussed the reports prepared by the Saarc Human Resource Development Centre, Saarc Documentation Centre, Saarc Centre on Tuberculosis and Saarc information Centre.

Reports from the working groups on biotechnology and disease surveillance were also discussed.

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser to the caretaker government, Fakhruddin Ahmed is set to arrive on April 2 to attend the summit. He will also hold a number of bilateral meetings with the heads of government of other Saarc countries, including India's Manmohan Singh on Monday evening.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury is scheduled to arrive in Delhi today to attend the Council of Ministers meeting, comprising Saarc foreign ministers, to be held on April 2.