Bangladesh’s impressive economic growth is crucial for India’s North East region

By IMPRI Team
The Rise of Bangladesh and its Implications for India’s North East session was organised by #IMPRI Centre for International Relation and Strategic Studies (CIRSS), IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, New Delhi on the 15th of June, 2023. The session was inaugurated by Jiyan Roytalukdar, a researcher at IMPRI, who welcomed the speakers and participants to the program with an introduction of distinguished panelists.
The dialogue was commenced by the Chair, Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das, Former Secretary (East), MEA & Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, New Delhi. In her opening remarks, she shared her curiosity over the rise of Bangladesh in South Asia, it’s sustaining and increasing economic growth, the success rate of inviting foreign investment and development of its industries, and lastly, the impact of Partition on the political, economic and security facets of Bangladesh and India’s North East.
Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das had now set the stage for the discussion between the panelists and participants to engage and participate.

Panelist 1 | Professor Mustafizur Rahman

Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow, Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dhaka, began the dialogue with his opening remarks, addressing Bangladesh’s impressive economic growth over the past decade and a half. Prof. Rahman initiated his talk by stating the economic graduations experienced by Bangladesh since 2015, about how a country born out of adversity can develop, then, therefore, any country can develop and flourish.
While discussing India and Bangladesh’s friendship in this competitive era of benefits, the two nations share the World’s fifth-longest border. Focusing on the political and economic variation of the two nations, a shared commonality till the present day stands to be the Jakhar Cement Factory, in Bangladesh, which still has its linkages in Meghalaya, Assam.
Professor Rahman elaborated on how Bangladesh’s development discourse has evolved and progressed over the past decade and a half. How port and transport development has contributed to the country’s economic prosperity. He further added, the Chhattogram and Sylhet ports of Bangladesh, boosted connectivity between Bangladesh and India’s North East and the two countries signed an agreement in 2019 to extend transit through Indian territory to Nepal and Bhutan. He concluded his talk by drawing inspiration from the title, “Rise of Bangladesh”, which is an opportunity for both Bangladesh and India’s North East.

Panelist 2 | Professor Prabir De

Professor Prabir De, Professor, Research and Information Systems for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, gave us a presentation covering the development in critical sectors that have led to the rise in Bangladesh. He emphasised Bangladesh’s poverty reduction and economic progress, particularly in the industrial industry. He further stated that Bangladesh’s progress has contributed to its economic prosperity and strengthened its security.
Tripura’s connectivity linkages with Bangladesh are crucial for India’s North East. It promotes third-world trade by rail, road (IWT), and digital means. Airports like Agartala serve as regional hubs for both Bangladesh and India’s North East, whereas, the latter serves as a hub for education, health, and tourism. Sabroom will eventually serve as an economic hub, industrial and rail transit center.
Professor De further elaborated on the Protocol on Inland Waterways Transit Trade, PIWIT, which helps promote intra-state trade between Bangladesh and India’s North East. The Indo-Bangladesh Coastal Shipping Agreement, signed in 2015 facilitates the direct coastal movement of goods between India, India’s Eastern Region, and Bangladesh through ports. He further added the Agreement of Chattogram and Mongla incorporated the Chattogram and Mongla ports into this framework. Thus, enhancing trade and supply chains in the region.
He concluded his presentation by stating the challenges that would arise in this expanding partnership between Bangladesh and India’s North East, as well as how the rise of Bangladesh would be of tremendous advantage for India’s North Eastern Region.
The discussion was followed by a question and answer session. Two important questions, one about the Padma River Bridge and the second about the People to people’s connection between India and Bangladesh were answered.
Closing the session, Jiyan Roytalukdar thanked the panel members for their insightful sessions, and the program ended with a vote of thanks.
---
Acknowledge: Narayani, a research intern at IMPRI

Comments

King Corona and his descendents: How long will the Dynasty last?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* “Corona ” is in the media once again, precipitating a déjà-vu feeling and some amount of panic among the people. Among viruses and microorganisms King Corona and its descendents enjoy Royalty Status. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." This classic quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is well known. But does it hold well in current times? The events during the past five years challenge the Bard's view.

India’s 2021 excess deaths: was it the virus — or the containment frenzy?

By Bhaskaran Raman* Tyagu (name changed), a vegetable vendor recalls of his brother’s death in 2021. The victim had a normal fever, but was forcibly taken away to the hospital saying that it was Covid. He had been coerced into taking the Covid-19 “vaccines” by that time. After 10 days in hospital, he died. There was no proper information during his hospital stay, and no one was allowed to visit, saying that visitors could also get Covid.

Old bias, new excuses: How western media misrepresents India’s anti-terror strikes

By Gajanan Khergamker The recent Indian military strikes on Pakistan, dubbed Operation Sindoor, have sparked a storm of international media coverage. Several prominent outlets have portrayed India as the aggressor in the escalating conflict, raising concerns over biased reporting. This commentary critiques coverage by foreign media outlets such as The New York Times , Reuters, BBC, and CNN, which have often been accused of framing India’s actions as escalatory while downplaying or omitting critical context regarding Pakistan’s role in fostering terrorism. By examining historical patterns and current geopolitical dynamics, this analysis highlights the recurring selective framing, omission of evidence, and a tendency to favor narratives aligned with Western geopolitical interests over factual nuance.

जैविक जीवित संसाधनों व प्रकृति पर निर्भर मजदूरों की व्यापक आर्थिक सुरक्षा कैसे हो?

- राज कुमार सिन्हा* भारत में 60 करोड़ से अधिक लोग भूमि, जल, जंगल और समुद्र जैसे प्राकृतिक स्रोतों पर निर्भर हैं । देश में 14.6 करोड़ छोटे और सीमांत किसान, 14.4 करोड़ खेतिहर मजदूर ( बड़ी संख्या में दलित हैं), 27.5 करोड़ वन निवासी, 2.8 करोड़ मछुआरे, 1.3 करोड़ पशुपालक और 1.7 करोड़ कारीगर हैं जो सीधे तौर पर प्रकृति के साथ और प्रकृति के भरोसे काम कर रहे हैं । लगभग 6 करोड़ मौसमी मजदूर हैं जो काम के सिलसिले में लगातार अपने गांव से बाहर जाते हैं और लौटते हैं। प्रकृति निर्भर समुदायों की आर्थिक गतिविधियां जो बड़े पैमाने पर जीवन निर्वाह और छोटी आय के लिए है। वर्तमान आर्थिक नीतियों के कारण, जो कॉर्पोरेट्स और बड़े व्यवसायों का समर्थन करती है, प्रकृति निर्भर समुदाय के लिए अव्यवहारिक होती जा रही है।

राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी: जल जीवन मिशन के लक्ष्य को पाने समन्वित प्रयास जरूरी

- राज कुमार सिन्हा* जल संसाधन से जुड़ी स्थायी समिति ने वर्तमान लोकसभा सत्र में पेश रिपोर्ट में बताया है कि "नल से जल" मिशन में राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी साबित हुए हैं। जबकि देश के 11 राज्यों में शत-प्रतिशत ग्रामीणों को नल से जल आपूर्ति शुरू कर दी गई है। रिपोर्ट में समिति ने केंद्र सरकार को सिफारिश की है कि मिशन पुरा करने में राज्य सरकारों की समस्याओं पर गौर किया जाए।

Crying air, water, and earth: A call to conserve our dying natural resources

By Dr. Gurinder Kaur* Air, water, and earth—these natural resources are essential for the survival of all living beings, including humans, animals, and plants. Life in any form is impossible without them. These are precious gifts of nature to humankind. However, in the pursuit of economic growth, modern humans have severely polluted these valuable resources in an attempt to satisfy their greed.

The WHO Pandemic Agreement: Why India should reconsider its stance

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* For more than the past three years, the WHO has been trying its best to push the Pandemic Treaty and amendments to the International Health Regulations in unholy haste, instead of conducting a proper appraisal of the impact of the measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic—a routine exercise after any pandemic to guide future strategies. This raises questions about whether the WHO, under China’s influence, is trying to conceal its acts of omission and commission during the pandemic, including obstructing investigations into the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The WHO recently faced a setback when the USA decided to cut all ties with the organization.

Environmental report raises alarm: Sabarmati one of four rivers with nonylphenol contamination

By Rajiv Shah A new report by Toxics Link , an Indian environmental research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, in collaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund , a global non-profit headquartered in New York, has raised the alarm that Sabarmati is one of five rivers across India found to contain unacceptable levels of nonylphenol (NP), a chemical linked to "exposure to carcinogenic outcomes, including prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women."

21-day security operation targets Maoist presence, prompts questions on civil impact

By Harsh Thakor* Union Home Minister Amit Shah has described a recent counter-insurgency operation along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border as a significant achievement for Indian security forces in their efforts against Maoist groups. The three-week-long operation in the Karreguttalu Hills reportedly resulted in the deaths of 31 individuals identified as members of Maoist formations.

Search This Blog