Relevance: GS Paper II

News Excerpt:

A rail link that connects Northeast India with Bangladesh was inaugurated recently by the Indian Prime Minister and his Bangladesh counterpart.

Two other projects inaugurated were the Khulna - Mongla Port Rail Line and Unit - II of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant in Rampal, Bangladesh.

About the project:

• The journey duration between Agartala and Kolkata will be reduced from 31 hours to 10 hours by the Agartala-Akhaura project.

• The 12.24 km Agartala-Akhaura railway line is divided into 5.46 km on the Indian side in Tripura and 6.78 km in the Bangladeshi Akhaura upa-zilla in the Brahmanbaria district.

• The final project cost is estimated at Rs 1255.10 crore, with Rs 862.58 crore allocated for works on the Indian side alone.

• The Ministry for Development of North East Region (DoNER) funded the work on the Indian side, and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) funded the expense for the Bangladesh side as ‘Aid to Bangladesh’.

• The work was completed by Texmaco, a private Indian company, on the Bangladeshi side and by Indian Railway Construction International Limited (IRCON), a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Indian Railways, on the Indian side.

• The project will eventually cover Dhaka and Kolkata.

Earlier train services between India and Bangladesh:

• Bandhan Express:
  • It revives a former train route between Kolkata and Bangladesh's third-largest city, Khulna.
  • The Barisal Express ran this route up to the India-Pakistan conflict of 1965.
  • In 2017, the PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina administrations restarted the service.
  • The Bandhan uses the Petrapole-Benapole border crossing.
• Maitree Express: It started in April 2008 between Kolkata and Dhaka Cantonment.
• Mitali Express: It connects Siliguri in North Bengal with the Bangladesh capital.

Significance of the project:

• Gateway for Tourism:
  • The railway link will open the door for tourism in land-locked Tripura and boost the local economy of the state.
• Pragmatic relevance:
  • At present, trains to Agartala must run through a longer route via Guwahati and Jalpaiguri stations.
  • The link will significantly reduce the time and distance needed to reach Tripura, southern Assam, and Mizoram from Kolkata.
  • The distance between Agartala and Kolkata will be effectively reduced from 1600 km to 500 km.
• Historical:
  • During the 1971 India-Pakistan war and the creation of Bangladesh, Tripura accommodated around 15 lakh East-Pakistani refugees. It ran at least 8 major muktijoddha (liberation warrior) training camps.
  • The Akhaura junction is part of the Chittagong division and has a rich history of commercial and cultural ties with India’s North-Eastern region since the colonial era.
  • One of the main drivers behind the initial construction of the junction in the late 19th century was the demand from Assam’s tea industry, which wanted a connection to the Chittagong port.
• Geographical context:
  • Tripura shares an 856-km international border with Bangladesh, the second highest after West Bengal.
  • Bangladesh surrounds Tripura on all three sides except Assam on the fourth.
• Strengthen bilateral relationship:
  • It will help boost India-Bangladesh trade in agriculture products, tea, sugar, construction items, iron and steel, consumer items, and people-to-people ties.
  • With this, people on both sides can hope for closer and smoother ties.

India - Bangladesh relation:

• Historical:
  • After Bangladesh's independence in 1971, India was the first nation to recognize it as a separate and independent state and to establish diplomatic ties with it.
  • Bangladesh and India are connected on a cultural, social, economic, and civilizational level.
  • The two nations are closely connected by language and culture, a shared history and cultural heritage, and a love of the arts, music, and literature.
• Economic and Commercial:
  • Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia, and India is the second biggest trade partner of Bangladesh in Asia.
  • Despite COVID-19-related disruptions, bilateral trade grew at an unprecedented rate of almost 44% from USD 10.78 bn in FY 2020-21 to  US$  18.14 bn in FY 2021-22.
  • Exports to Bangladesh touched above US$ 16 bn as against US$ 9.6 bn the previous FY. India is Bangladesh’s largest export destination in Asia.
  • Cooperation in the power sector has become one of the hallmarks of India-Bangladesh relations.
    • Bangladesh is currently importing 1160 MW of power from India.
• Defence Cooperation:
  • In 2021, India and Bangladesh jointly commemorated the 50th anniversary of the 1971 War, fought shoulder-to-shoulder by the armed forces of both countries.
  • Recently, India and Bangladesh reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering defence cooperation at the fifth annual defence dialogue in Dhaka.
  • The defense services of both countries participate in joint exercises, medical assistance, and training programs.
    • Sampriti, the joint exercise operation between the two armies to counter terrorism, has completed seven rounds.
• Connectivity:
  • Operationalization of the Haldibari (India) – Chilahati (Bangladesh) rail link between India and Bangladesh in 2021 paved the way for greater sub-regional connectivity and would help facilitate freight movement from Bangladesh to Nepal and Bhutan and vice-versa.
  • Presently, the four rail links operational between India and Bangladesh include Petrapole (India) - Benapole (Bangladesh), Gede (India) – Darshana (Bangladesh), Singhabad (India) - Rohanpur (Bangladesh), and Radhikapur (India) – Birol (Bangladesh).
  • Integrated Check Post (ICP) Petrapole is the most important land port between the two countries, catering to 23 lakh passengers annually, and its up-gradation to improve the institutional arrangements to enhance trade and connectivity is being pursued.
• Development Partnership:
  • India has extended 3 Lines of Credit (LOC) to Bangladesh in the last 8 years, amounting to around US$ 8 billion to develop infrastructure in various sectors, including roads, railways, shipping, and ports.
  • India has been providing grant assistance to Bangladesh for various infrastructure projects, including the construction of the Akhaura-Agartala rail link, the dredging of inland waterways in Bangladesh, and the construction of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline for carriage of High-Speed Diesel into Bangladesh.
  • India has funded 74 High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs), including the construction of student hostels, academic buildings, skill development and training institutes, cultural centres, and orphanages in Bangladesh.
  • India has been training Bangladesh Civil Service officials, police officials, and judicial officials, among others, at various premier training institutes in India.
• Cooperation to tackle the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • India gifted 3.3 million Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines) to Bangladesh to assist in its ongoing effort to fight against the pandemic.
  • Two ‘Mobile Oxygen Plants’ were gifted to Bangladesh with the help of INS Savitri.
  • India operated ‘Oxygen Express’ trains to transport Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) in railway containers as part of commercial purchases made by Bangladesh.
• Security and Border Management:
  • There is active cooperation between various agencies of both countries working jointly to combat illicit drug trafficking, fake currency, and human trafficking, and cooperation on police matters and anti-corruption activities, among others.
  • Mechanisms for the peaceful and cooperative management of the 4,096 km-long international border are also actively focused on border fencing, joint inspection of boundary pillars, and joint boundary demarcation, including riverine boundaries.

Way Forward:

• Both countries must address each other’s concerns and work towards standard solutions.

• To maintain the momentum, the two countries must implement all the MoUs and agreements that have been signed.

• Some additional measures can also be implemented, such as the signing of the Teesta Agreement, pending since 2011 after India withdrew at the last moment.

• India must take advantage of its cultural ties with Bangladesh and work on inviting more officers and personnel for training.

• Building on the ICT network, both countries must expand on cultural trade and, in time, foster an ecosystem for it within the platforms of SAARC, BIMSTEC, and the Commonwealth, in which both are members.

• Elevating the yearly consultation to the level of chiefs of army, navy, and air force should be made a policy.

• Finally, industry-to-industry deliberations should be fostered to facilitate commercial relations in defence.

PYQs

Q. Consider the following statements:  (UPSC 2020)

1. The value of Indo-Sri Lanka trade has consistently increased in the last decade.

2. “Textile and textile articles” constitute an important item of trade between India and Bangladesh.

3. In the last five years, Nepal has been the largest trading partner of India in South Asia.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 3 only

Mains

Q. Analyze internal security threats and transborder crimes along Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan borders including Line of Control (LoC). Also discuss the role played by various security forces in this regard. (UPSC 2020)