India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission

In News

• Recently, the seventh round of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) was held in New Delhi.

Outcomes of the meeting

• Both the countries expressed satisfaction that despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, both countries have worked closer than ever before in every sector. 
  • Cooperation is seen in sectors like security and border management to mutually beneficial trade and investment flows, as well as enhanced bilateral and sub-regional multimodal connectivity, greater power and energy cooperation, developmental assistance and capacity building exchanges, cultural and closer people-to-people ties.
• The plan is to further work closely together to deepen and strengthen cooperation in the areas of: 
  • Common rivers and water resources management, 
  • IT and cybersecurity, 
  • Renewable energy, 
  • Agriculture and food security, 
  • Sustainable trade, 
  • Climate change and 
  • Disaster management
• Both sides reiterated the importance of safe, speedy and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced persons from the Rakhine State to Myanmar, currently being sheltered by Bangladesh.

Significance of the meeting

• Land Boundary Agreement and River management:
  • India and Bangladesh have resolved border problems through the Land Boundary Agreement of 2015.
  • But both the countries have been in dialogue over the sharing of multiple rivers that define the borders and impact lives and livelihoods on both sides. 
  • Bangladesh has been particularly keen on receiving a fair share of the waters of the Teesta that flows through the northern part of West Bengal. 
• Repatriation of Rohingyas:
  • Bangladesh has been hosting more than a million displaced persons from Rakhine, known as the Rohingyas, since 2017. 
  • 2022 marks the fifth year of the exile of this community that Dhaka wants to repatriate with “security and dignity”.

India Bangladesh Relations

• India was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh and establish diplomatic relations immediately after its independence in December 1971.
• Internationally both the nations share the following platforms: 
  • SAARC, BIMSTEC, Indian Ocean Coastal Regional Cooperation Association, and Commonwealth.
• Trade and investment:  
  • Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia. 
  • India’s exports to Bangladesh during 2021 was US$14.09 Billion.
  • Bangladesh may become India’s fourth-largest export destination in FY22, jumping five places in two years.
  • Bangladesh’s growth stems largely from its success as an exporter of garments, which account for around 80 percent of its total exports. 
• Power and energy cooperation:
  • Cooperation in the power sector has become one of the hallmarks of India -Bangladesh relations. 
    • Bangladesh is currently importing 1160 MW of power from India.
  • Bangladesh is the biggest development partner of India. 
    • India has extended 3 Lines of Credits (LOC) to Bangladesh in the last 8 years amounting to US$ 8 billion for the development of infrastructure in various sectors including roads, railways, shipping and ports.
• Capacity Building and Human Resource Development:  
  • Human resource development is a key component of India’s development cooperation efforts in Bangladesh through its several ongoing training programs and Scholarships.
  • The Government of India has been training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Service officials from 2019 at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Mussoorie
  • The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in Dhaka plays an important role in the celebration of common cultural links between the two countries.
  • Its training programs including Yoga, Kathak, Manipuri dance, Hindi language, Hindustani classical music and the cultural programs of renowned artists of India and Bangladesh contribute to the promotion of people-to-people contacts.
• Defense Cooperation: 
  • High level exchanges at the level of services chief of Indian Navy, Bangladesh Navy and Indian Air Force, conduct of second annual defense dialogue and inaugural tri-services staff talks, service specific talks of Navy and Air Force.
  • DG level talks between the Coast Guards have contributed to significant improvement in bilateral defense cooperation.
  • In the training domain both the countries have continued and enhanced mutual engagements.
  • Various Joint exercises take place between the two countries:
    • Exercise Sampriti (Army) and 
    • Exercise Milan (Navy).
• Multimodal Connectivity: 
  • The passenger trains between India and Bangladesh:
    • Bandhan Express: starting from Kolkata for Khulna – Since 2017
      • It covers the distance via Petrapole and Benapole border route to cater to the demands of the people from both countries.
    • Maitree Express: starting from Dhaka for Kolkata – since 2008
      • The tri-weekly service between Kolkata and Dhaka used to run with 90 percent occupancy. 
      • The train has a capacity to carry 456 passengers, the same as Bandhan Express.
    • Mitali Express: starting from New Jalpaiguri in North Bengal for Dhaka.
  • Bus Serice:
    • Both the governments decided to commence: Dhaka-Siliguri-Gangtok-Dhaka and DhakaSiliguri-Darjeeling-Dhaka bus service to enhance people to people contacts between both the countries and the trail run of Dhaka-Siliguri-Gangtok-Dhaka was also held in December 2019.
  • The Government of India has also been providing grant assistance to Bangladesh for various infrastructure projects including the construction of Akhaura-Agartala rail link, dredging of inland waterways in Bangladesh and construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.

Source: IE