{"id":52828,"date":"2019-10-05T11:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-10-05T05:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogadmin.forumias.com\/?page_id=52828"},"modified":"2019-10-05T11:00:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-05T05:30:56","slug":"answered-there-is-scope-for-india-bangladesh-ties-to-move-to-the-next-level-based-on-cooperation-coordination-and-consolidation-comment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answered-there-is-scope-for-india-bangladesh-ties-to-move-to-the-next-level-based-on-cooperation-coordination-and-consolidation-comment\/","title":{"rendered":"[Answered] \u201cThere is scope for India\u00ad Bangladesh ties to move to the next level, based on cooperation, coordination and consolidation.\u201d Comment."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Demand of the question<\/strong>
Introduction. <\/strong>Contextual Introduction.
Body. <\/strong>Present relations and issues. What should be done to improve the relations?
Conclusion. <\/strong>Way forward. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n

India and Bangladesh share a common border of 4096 km running through five Indian states, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. India\u2019s relations with Bangladesh are traditionally, cultural, social and economic. There is a much that brings them together. Today, the India-Bangladesh border is one of India\u2019s most secured. The signing of the Land Boundary Agreement in 2015 was a milestone, where the two neighbours amicably resolved a long-outstanding issue. But there are many long-standing issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the present areas of co-operation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Connectivity:<\/strong> India\u2019s \u2018neighbourhood policy\u2019 has focussed on\nBangladesh, which has emerged as a key interlocutor in India\u2019s \u2018Act East\nPolicy\u2019 and sub-regional groupings like BIMSTEC and the BBIN Initiative. The\nPadma multipurpose bridge and the Akhaura-Agartala rail link will dramatically\nchange connectivity within Bangladesh and with India. <\/li>
  2. Cyberspace:<\/strong> Bangladesh has provided cyber connectivity between\nthe international gateway at Cox\u2019s Bazar to Agartala for faster Internet\nconnectivity in India\u2019s northeastern States.<\/li>
  3. Energy: <\/strong>India has also become a partner in Bangladesh\u2019s\nnuclear power programme, with the beginning of construction at the Rooppur\nnuclear power plant. India is poised to export around 1100 MW of power to meet\nthe energy deficit in Bangladesh.<\/li>
  4. Trade:<\/strong>\nBangladesh is India\u2019s largest trading partner in South Asia with an annual\nturnover of around $9 billion plus an estimated informal trade of around $8-9\nbillion. To enable more Bangladeshi exports to flow into India, duty free entry\nwas granted in 2011 under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA).<\/li>
  5. Credit<\/strong>:\nIndian investment in Bangladesh has reached $3 billion. To offset the economic\nasymmetry, India has granted Bangladesh generous lines of credit (LOCs) and\ngrants, with commitments reaching $8 billion. While LOCs flow into\ninfrastructure and connectivity projects, grants flow into social sector\ndevelopment.<\/li>
  6. Tourism: <\/strong>Over a million visas are issued to Bangladeshi\ncitizens by India annually. Both countries have signed Revised Travel\nArrangement 2018 (RTA 2018) for further liberalising the visa regime, including\nenhanced duration for employment and student visas.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Issues Influencing Relations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Illegal trade: <\/strong>The porous borders are often used as a route for\nsmuggling food items, livestock, drugs and medicines from India to Bangladesh. <\/li>
    2. Water Dispute: <\/strong>India and Bangladesh share 54 trans-border rivers,\nvarying in sizes. There is major dispute and a bone of contention over India\u2019s\nplans to construct and operate the Farakka Barrage. The inadequate water during\nthe lean season is unable to meet the assessed demands in the two countries\nbecame the root cause of conflict between bordering countries.<\/li>
    3. Illegal Migrations: <\/strong>Illegal migration has been the most problematic\nissue between these two countries. Since 1971, when war of independence broke\nout that led to the creation of Bangladesh, millions of Bangladeshi immigrants\n(the vast majority of them illegal) crossed into the neighbouring states in\nIndia. <\/li>
    4. Security Concerns: <\/strong>Over the years, insurgency has strained the relations\nbetween India and Bangladesh. Since 1956, Northeast India has been the worst\nhit region facing insurgency due to growing ethnic separatism among the\ninhabitants. Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), National Liberation of Tripura\n(NLFT) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFM) are major insurgent\ngroups that have created an atmosphere of terror in Northeast India.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Where should the future focus lie?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Ties on basis of cooperation, coordination and\nconsolidation should move forward and should aim better economic ties and\nrelations.<\/li>
      2. The Rohingya issue has imposed a huge economic and\nsecurity burden on Bangladesh. Thus issue should be resolved bilaterally.<\/li>
      3. India, on its part, published the draft National\nRegister of Citizens in Assam to account genuine Indian citizens residing in\nAssam and to curb the flow of illegal migrants in the future. Thus the illegal\nmigrants issue, along with sharing of river waters, will require deft handling\nof bilateral ties between the two countries.<\/li>
      4. Also, China\u2019s security and economic footprint has\ngrown in South Asia and managing this will remain a challenge for both\ncountries. While Bangladesh is overwhelmingly dependent on military hardware\nfrom China, India has provided a $500 million LOC for procurement of\ndefence-related goods from India. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        In any case, course has changed after the difference in government in India, which advocates a solid \u2018neighbourhood first\u2019 outside approach. We need to go past the geopolitical impulses and move towards more concrete provincial collaboration like what the Europeans and Southeast Asians are doing. The shared colonial legacy, history and socio-cultural bonds demand that the political leadership of the two countries inject momentum into India-Bangladesh relations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Demand of the question Introduction. Contextual Introduction. Body. Present relations and issues. What should be done to improve the relations? Conclusion. Way forward. India and Bangladesh share a common border of 4096 km running through five Indian states, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. India\u2019s relations with Bangladesh are traditionally, cultural, social and economic.… Continue reading [Answered] \u201cThere is scope for India\u00ad Bangladesh ties to move to the next level, based on cooperation, coordination and consolidation.\u201d Comment.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":49132,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-52828","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52828"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52828\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}