AIR Spotlight: India-Bangladesh Relations

AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio Newsonair. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation. This article features a discussion on India’s relations with Bangladesh in the backdrop of Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India (Sep 2022).

Participants:

1. Mr. Rajesh Kumar Jha, Prasar Bharati Special Correspondent, Dhaka
2. Abhineet Shukla, AIR Correspondent

Context: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is on a four-day visit to India.

Introduction:

• This is the second visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh after 2019.
• The dimensions that will be covered in the meeting include:
  • Deeper cooperation between the two countries
  • Sharing of river waters
  • Connectivity
  • Food Security
  • Investment, etc.
• In recent years, India and Bangladesh have seen an upswing in their relationship both in terms of cultural as well as historical ties.

India-Bangladesh Relations:

• The relationship between the two neighbouring countries goes back to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. India played a crucial role in the liberation of Bangladesh.
• The culture, language and people ties between the two countries go beyond fifty years.
• Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are common assets and heroes of both nations.
• In the present context, the depth of the relationship can be observed from the following facts:
  • Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, both countries retained high levels of interaction.
  • The trade between both countries continued.
  • Bottlenecks in the supply chains were quickly overcome.
  • As Bangladesh celebrated fifty years of liberation and the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 2021, the top three dignitaries from India (President, Prime Minister, and the Finance Minister) paid a visit to the country.
• Connectivity is the key area of cooperation between India and Bangladesh. It is the fulcrum of a robust relationship as quoted by the External Affairs Minister of India.
  • There were six rail lines between the two countries before 1965. These were closed. However, with ongoing efforts from both sides, five out of these have been reopened.
  • The railway connectivity was also enhanced by the launch of a new train between Dhaka and Siliguri. This directly connects Bangladesh to the entire Northeast of India.
  • It can also help in boosting tourism in both places.
  • The improved connectivity further boosts trade, as it is a faster and cheaper means of transportation.
• Trans-shipment is another area of cooperation. The location of Bangladesh is such that it can considerably reduce the distance, providing faster transit to Indian goods.
  • There was an agreement between India and Bangladesh in 2018, where Bangladesh allowed India to use its Mongla and Chattogram ports.
  • Moreover, goods are transported from the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port in Kolkata to the borders of Meghalaya and Assam through Mongla and Chattogram ports.
  • This has made the transportation of commodities much cheaper and more efficient.
• India has provided vaccines to Bangladesh under the Vaccine Maitree programme. This has further helped in strengthening the relations. India was the first country to offer support to Bangladesh. Moreover, after ramping up its domestic production, India also provided medical-grade oxygen to its eastern neighbour.
• India also rescued the students who were stuck in eastern Europe amidst the Russia-Ukraine war.

For more on India-Bangladesh relations, read here: India-Bangladesh Relations

Significance of the visit:

• India is a time-tested partner of Bangladesh in all aspects as declared by Ms Hasina.
• This is a golden period in the relationship between India and Bangladesh as diplomatic relations have completed 50 years since 1971.
• India and Bangladesh are going to sign MoU on sharing the Kushiyara river.
  • This was finalized in the 38th Ministerial level meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission that was held in New Delhi.
  • It is an important area of bilateral relations as both the countries share 54 rives.
  • Both countries are working hard to evolve a strategy for equitable distribution of river water.
• India has also agreed to share real-time data on floods. It is a very essential step in reducing the human and economic costs associated with natural disasters.
• The visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh will add more substance to the relationship and take it to new heights.

Conclusion:

India has taken significant steps to extend the friendly gesture with Bangladesh in all aspects. It has also supported Bangladesh in times of crisis. Bangladesh also reciprocates the same when it comes to India.

Read previous AIR Spotlight articles in the link.

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