Matarbari Port to Offer Connectivity to Northeast India
The port, being developed with assistance from Japan, is anticipated to become Bangladesh’s and South Asia’s commercial hub.
The deep seaport being developed at Matarbari in Bangladesh will be developed as a crucial commercial hub in the Bay of Bengal region, enabling linkage of industrial value chains with Northeast India, reports ET Infra. Japan along with India under the broader “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” policy is working on enhancing the connectivity networks between India and neighbouring countries.
https://www.maritimegateway.com/
Trade Minister visits India and Bangladesh to grow green trade
Minister for International Trade Nigel Huddleston begins a three-day visit to India and Bangladesh
There are huge opportunities for British companies to take advantage of the growing trade relationships between the UK and both India and Bangladesh. Bilateral trade with India has already topped £36 billion, supporting half a million jobs across both countries. As part of its ambition to double bilateral trade by 2030, the UK is also continuing to negotiate a trade deal with India. With Bangladesh, trade has increased 50% in current prices, reaching nearly £5 billion.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
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Rupee-taka trade to be game changer in India-Bangladesh economic ties: Assistant High Commissioner of India at Ctg
Dr Rajiv Ranjan has said the mechanism of trade settlement in Indian rupees could be a game changer in India-Bangladesh economic and commercial ties.
"The most important manifestation of that transformation is our evidently growing economic and commercial ties and activity links. Bangladesh and India are the biggest trade partners in South Asia and the fifth largest trade partner globally. Also, India is Bangladesh's second largest trading partner after China. In the last five years our bilateral trade has more than doubled."
https://www.tbsnews.net/
Maitri Setu: Significant boost to regional connectivity and security
The opening of the Maitri Setu connecting Sabroom in Tripura and Chittagong port in September will give India’s northeastern region and landlocked countries like Bhutan and Nepal access to the Bay of Bengal.
The Maitri Setu, which denotes friendship bridge in native parlance, over river Feni, connecting Sabroom in Tripura with Chittagong port in Bangladesh, set to become operational from the beginning of September, India’s counter-balancing of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in terms of regional connectivity will get a leg-up. The opening of Maitri Setu will further boost connectivity with India’s strategic northeastern region.
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Bhutan Gearing Up To Import Electricity from India for Extended Period: Report
The anticipated increase in imports is caused due to the growing domestic demand for power, which has been steadily witnessing a rise over the past years
Bhutan is gearing up to import electricity from India for an extended period of approximately five months from December this year to April next year. Bhutan's hydropower projects experience seasonality, with maximum generation occurring during the monsoon months from May to October. Meanwhile, generation witnesses a decline during the dry winter months from November to April, according to The Bhutan Live Report.
https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/
India-Bhutan SAT: How India Is Helping Smaller Nations Like Bhutan with Space Technology
The ground station established by ISRO in Bhutan for satellite tracking is one of the ways in which India is showing its willingness to share space technology with its neighbours.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is helping nations smaller than India by providing them with space technology. One of these nations is Bhutan. On November 26, 2022, ISRO launched nine satellites as part of the PSLV-C54 mission. One of these satellites was BhutanSAT, a Bhutanese satellite. Scientists from both India and Bhutan jointly developed this satellite. On March 13, 2023, ISRO Chairman D Somanath, along with some delegates, inaugurated a Ground-Earth station for BhutanSAT, also known as India-Bhutan SAT. The station was established at Thimphu.
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China’s Border Talks with Bhutan are aimed at India
The disputed Doklam plateau is a pressure point for both regional powers. Beijing is moving in.
As China and India's tensions rise, their neighboring countries, like Bhutan, become strategically important. China's attempts to negotiate its border disputes with Bhutan, particularly in Doklam, are not just bilateral issues but part of a broader strategy to gain an advantage over India. The outcome of these talks could affect peace in the region and escalate the Sino-Indian border crisis. China's tactics include border incursions and constructing villages in Bhutan, with the goal of influencing Bhutan's stance. This situation requires attention from New Delhi and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad).
https://foreignpolicy.com/
India and Bhutan Review Bilateral Cooperation and Discussed Ways to Further Strengthen It across Diverse Sectors
Foreign Secretaries of India and Bhutan also noted with appreciation the progress on bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, development partnership, cross-border connectivity, trade and economic ties, digital development, and furthering people-to-people ties.
India and Bhutan have reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to further strengthen it across diverse sectors. Foreign Secretary Kwatra conveyed India’s commitment to partner with Bhutan based on the priorities of the government and people of Bhutan and advancing the bilateral partnership including newer areas.
https://newsonair.gov.in/
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India, Sri Lanka to Work for Economic, Tech, Agreement
New Delhi and Colombo also unveiled plans to establish power grid connectivity, possibly boosting electricity trade in the neighbourhood.
India and Sri Lanka on Friday agreed to start discussions on an Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ECTA) and unveiled plans to cooperate on power, digital payments, connectivity and green energy. The ECTA with Sri Lanka will focus on tariff and non-tariff barriers as well as investment rules.
https://www.livemint.com/
India, Bangladesh Plan to Set Up 16 Border Haats to Increase Trade
The new border haats, whose establishment is currently under discussion, will be located in Mizoram and West Bengal.
New Delhi and Dhaka are considering the establishment of 16 new border haats to increase the volume of trade between the two countries, according to Smita Pant, a senior diplomat in the Ministry of External Affairs. India and Bangladesh are bolstering trade connectivity through border haats, informal border markets. Eight are operational in northeastern India, with more planned in Mizoram and West Bengal. These aim to boost local economies and curb informal trade. Both nations are also upgrading infrastructure and discussing a comprehensive economic agreement to streamline trade.
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India Doubles Down On Regional Connectivity to Counter China
New Delhi has big advantages in its South Asia infrastructure push – even if outspending China isn’t one of them.
India focuses on infrastructure to counter China's regional influence. Recent visits by Nepal and Sri Lanka's leaders strengthened regional connectivity commitments. India is granting Nepal access to its waterways, supporting hydropower, and increasing power imports. With Sri Lanka, discussions include a land bridge, port development, air services, and energy links. India leverages geography and infrastructure to compete with China, given cost challenges and limited free trade prospects in South Asia.
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/
Better Connectivity to Boost Trade in Northeast India
The ‘Act East’ policy for India is crucial. It is primarily because India is crucially positioned within South Asia and is part of the broader Bay of Bengal region.
Northeast India, which shares 98 per cent of its borders with five different countries, including China, has the prospective to become a vivacious link to the three SAARC countries – Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Southeast Asia, especially Myanmar. Moreover, as India’s foreign policy talks about the ‘Act East’ and ‘Neighbourhood First’ strategies, it again brings Northeast India into the spotlight as a ‘connectivity gateway’ to the wider Indo-Pacific region.
https://www.guwahatiplus.com/
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Indian Transport Pioneers Brought ‘Modernisation and Change’ To Nepal, Says Former Envoy
Manjeev Singh Puri praises Indian entrepreneurs, Sardar Pritam Singh, modernising Nepal's transportation.
Former Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Manjeev Singh Puri, acknowledged the transformative role of Indian transportation entrepreneurs, led by Sardar Pritam Singh in the 1960s, in modernising Nepal. Puri, speaking at the launch of Sardar Pritam Singh's biography titled "Roads to the Valley," emphasised their trust-building impact within Nepalese society. Singh's leadership, which included transporting trucks across rivers in 1959 and introducing modernisation, played a significant role in Nepal's transition to a modern society.
https://www.thehindu.com/
Ramayana Circuit to Further Increase Indian Tourist Flow To Nepal
The Ramayana Circuit includes major pilgrim sites in India and Nepal that are related to Ramayana, such as Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh as well as Janakpur in Nepal
Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, expressed that the proposed Ramayana Circuit, connecting major pilgrim sites in India and Nepal related to the Ramayana era, will bolster Indian tourist visits to Nepal. He highlighted the potential of railway connections between Janakpur and Bijulpura to boost tourism. The Ramayana Circuit is part of the Swadesh Darshan scheme, and Nepal is actively participating in its development, indicating a strengthening India-Nepal development partnership.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/
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Nepal, India strike cross-border infrastructure deals | June 05, 2023
Ambassador Srivastava said that the project was an important part of the very robust development partnership between India and Nepal
Nepal's Foreign Minister, Narayan Prakash Saud, expressed gratitude for India's contribution to Nepal's development during the joint inauguration of a new building for the Himalaya Kiran Public Campus in eastern Nepal. Built with Indian grant assistance worth NPR 37 million, the project signifies the robust development partnership between the two nations. The upgraded campus, located in the Sankhuwasabha district, will offer various educational programs to over 600 students, further enhancing bilateral ties.
https://www.thehindu.com/
Nepal, India, Bangladesh Power Trade Agreement in ‘Final Stage’, Says Envoy
The proposed tripartite (India, Nepal and Bangladesh) power trade pact, the first of its kind in South Asia, was agreed to by the three countries earlier this year and is aimed at meeting a long-standing demand from Nepal and Bangladesh to allow the sale of electricity the Indian grid.
A planned tripartite power trade agreement between India, Nepal and Bangladesh is in the final stage, though New Delhi and Dhaka may have to augment their transmission capacities to implement the pact, Nepal’s ambassador Shankar Prasad Sharma said. The proposed tripartite power trade pact, the first of its kind in South Asia, was agreed to by the three countries earlier this year and is aimed at meeting a long-standing demand from Nepal and Bangladesh to allow the sale of electricity to the Indian grid.
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