Act east policy? Naga businesses 'interested' to deal with Bangladesh counterparts

By Samara Ashrat*
The northeast of India is fast gaining attention for its rich economic resources and strategic location. It is positioned to serve India’s strategic vision encompassed in the Act East Policy. Economically, the region has large deposits of oil, natural gas, coal and limestone, and a sizable proportion of land under cultivation for agro-horticulture products, bamboo and rubber.
Besides a wide range of natural, archaeological, and cultural tourist sites, this region also provides opportunities for medical tourism. It shares international borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. The region acts as a land bridge for India’s participation in institutional forums, including the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation and the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) programme.
Furthermore, access to Myanmar offers great potential to integrate India with other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Nagaland, a northeastern state in India, is looking to forge a mutually beneficial investment relationship with Bangladesh, taking advantage of the country's port facilities to explore new trade avenues.

Nagaland eyes trade potentials in Bangladesh

A delegation led by Business Association of Nagas (BAN) president Mongkum Jamir recently visited Bangladesh to discuss the potential of bilateral trade at the invitation of Abdul Matlub Ahmad, president of India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI). Nagaland businesses plan to export bamboo chips and coffee to Bangladesh, while Bangladesh would send garment products to Northeast India. Nagaland produces world-class coffee that could be processed and exported globally through Bangladesh.
Nagaland businessmen are also interested in exporting fruits for juice and packaged food production. The India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) and the Business Association of Nagas (BAN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance trade relations at Niathu Resort in Dimapur on April 6, 2023.
The MoU signed on the sidelines of the B20 Business Summit at Kohima will aim to facilitate the exchange of information, expertise and technology in the area of agriculture, food processing, bamboo, tourism, textiles, IT services, mineral and renewable energy.
The agreement will also promote bilateral trade and investment between Bangladesh and Nagaland, with both organisations providing the necessary assistance and support to their respective business communities, working together on joint projects and initiatives, reducing trade barriers and improving market access for each other's goods and services. Bangladeshi government's support for mutual import-export of agri-based and other resources and suggested a direct Sylhet-Dimapur flight.

Why Bangladesh

Northeast India shares an 800-kilometer border with Bangladesh, offering ample investment opportunities for Nagaland businesses. Siliguri Corridor is one of the most geographical compulsions for India. This narrow corridor separated the whole North Eastern region from the Indian Mainland. Bangladesh creates a broader nexus between the Indian mainland and the North Eastern region.

Traveling within India, Agartala is 1,650km from Kolkata and 2,637km from New Delhi through Shillong and Guwahati. The journey between Agartala and Kolkata via Bangladesh, on the other hand, is only about 550km. Furthermore, the average distance between Bangladesh's major cities and northeast India is 20km to 300km.

As a result, Bangladesh is always considered crucial for the North-Eastern region's connectivity with mainland India by rail, road, and river routes. So, the bilateral ties and engagements between India and Bangladesh help in exploring many new windows of possibilities for Nagaland, ranging from trade and commerce to culture and tourism.

Initiatives takes

The route through Assam is the shortest possible route for Bangladesh-Nagaland trade initiatives. That’s why the connectivity needs to be uninterrupted. India is planning to build a new road link via a four-lane bridge across the Kushiyara river to connect Bangladesh and Assam.
India has planned road connectivity with Bangladesh by constructing a 300-metre four-lane bridge over the Kushiyara River and an around 600-metre road in the Karimganj sector of the Indo-Bangla border connecting Karimganj in Assam and Jakiganj Upozila in the Sylhet district in Bangladesh. Nearly half of the 900-metre road project will be in Assam (Karinganj) and the other half in Bangladesh. Once the road will be completed, the trade ties between Nagaland and Bangladesh will get a boost.

Not only that, to boost bilateral trade, India-Bangladesh have launched 36 land ports include five comprehensive depots. The latest one is in Dawki of Meghalaya. The connectivity has been improved with the North East region. The region can contribute more to the strengthening of two neighboring economies. The businessmen from Nagaland can also invest in developing economic zones in Bangladesh.
Moreover, Bangladesh and Nagaland have signed 34 agreements for mutual benefits, paving the way for a stronger economic partnership between the two regions. The collaborative efforts of these business communities will not only boost their respective economies but also foster a stronger bond between the neighboring countries.
---
*PhD fellow, International Relations, University of Bucharest

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat* As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

Job opportunities decreasing, wages remain low: Delhi construction workers' plight

By Bharat Dogra* It was about 32 years back that a hut colony in posh Prashant Vihar area of Delhi was demolished. It was after a great struggle that the people evicted from here could get alternative plots that were not too far away from their earlier colony. Nirmana, an organization of construction workers, played an important role in helping the evicted people to get this alternative land. At that time it was a big relief to get this alternative land, even though the plots given to them were very small ones of 10X8 feet size. The people worked hard to construct new houses, often constructing two floors so that the family could be accommodated in the small plots. However a recent visit revealed that people are rather disheartened now by a number of adverse factors. They have not been given the proper allotment papers yet. There is still no sewer system here. They have to use public toilets constructed some distance away which can sometimes be quite messy. There is still no...

Rally in Patna: Non-farmer bodies to highlight plight of agriculture in Eastern India ahead of march to Parliament

P Sainath By A Representative Ahead of the march to Parliament on November 29-30, 2018, organized by over 210 farmer and agricultural worker organisations of the country demanding a 21-day special session of Parliament to deliberate on remedial measures for safeguarding the interest of farm, farmers and agricultural workers, a mass rally been organized for November 23, Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Gandhi Museum), Gandhi Maidan, Patna. Say the organizers, the Eastern region merits special attention, because, while crisis of farmers and agricultural workers in Western, Southern and Northern India has received some attention in the media and central legislature, the plight of those in the Eastern region of the country (Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Eastern UP) has remained on the margins. To be addressed by P Sainath, founder of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), a statement issued ahead of the rally says, the Eastern India was the most prosperous regi...

As 2024 draws nearer, threatening signs appear of more destructive wars

By Bharat Dogra The four years from 2020 to 2023 have been very difficult and high risk years for humanity. In the first two years there was a pandemic and such severe disruption of social and economic life that countless people have not yet recovered from its many-sided adverse impacts. In the next two years there were outbreaks of two very high-risk wars which have worldwide implications including escalation into much wider conflicts. In addition there were highly threatening signs of increasing possibility of other very destructive wars. As the year 2023 appears to be headed for ending on a very grim note, there are apprehensions about what the next year 2024 may bring, and there are several kinds of fears. However to come back to the year 2020 first, the pandemic harmed and threatened a very large number of people. No less harmful was the fear epidemic, the epidemic of increasing mental stress and the cruel disruption of the life and livelihoods particularly among the weaker s...

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

Counterview

Search This Blog