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

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

The curious case of multiple entries of a female voter of Maharashtra: What ECI's online voter records reveal

By Venkatesh Nayak* Cyberspace is agog with data, names and documents which question the reliability of the electoral rolls prepared by the electoral bureaucracy in Maharashtra prior to the General Elections conducted in 2024. One such example of deep dive probing has brought to the surface, the name of one female voter in the 132-Nalasopara (Gen) Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra. Nalasopara is part of the Palghar (ST) Lok Sabha constituency. This media report claims that this individual's name figures multiple times in the voter list of the same constituency.

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.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Spirit of leadership vs bondage: Of empowered chairman of 100-acre social forestry coop

By Gagan Sethi* This is about Khoda Sava, a young Dalit belonging to the Vankar sub-caste, who worked as a bonded labourer in a village near Vadgam in Banskantha district of North Gujarat. The year was 1982. Khoda had taken a loan of Rs 7,000 from the village sarpanch, a powerful landlord doing money-lending as his side business. Khoda, who had taken the loan for marriage, was landless. Normally, villagers would mortgage their land if they took loan from the sarpanch. But Khoda had no land. He had no option but to enter into a bondage agreement with the sarpanch in order to repay the loan. Working in bondage on the sarpanch’s field meant that he would be paid Rs 1,200 per annum, from which his loan amount with interest would be deducted. He was also obliged not to leave the sarpanch’s field and work as daily wager somewhere else. At the same time, Khoda was offered meal once a day, and his wife job as agricultural worker on a “priority basis”. That year, I was working as secretary...

Proposed Modi yatra from Jharkhand an 'insult' of Adivasi hero Birsa Munda: JMM

Counterview Desk The civil rights network, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JMM), which claims to have 30 grassroots groups under its wings, has decided to launch Save Democracy campaign to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to be launched on November 15 from the village of legendary 19th century tribal independence leader Birsa Munda from Ulihatu (Khunti district).

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman* Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

Counterview

Search This Blog