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RIVER MANAGEMENT

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS | INDIA, BANGLADESH SHOULD WORK ON RIVER MANAGEMENT | 20TH JUNE | INDIAN EXPRESS

/ June, 2022, UPSC Daily Current Affairs

SYLLABUS SECTION: GS II (BILATERAL RELATIONS)

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Both countries talked about working together for comprehensive river management.

Recently, the 7th meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) of India and Bangladesh has been held in New Delhi.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Both sides shared 54 rivers which requires both the countries to work together,
  • And to share “environmental responsibility” in areas such as the Sundarbans.
  • India wished to work with Bangladesh on ArtificialIntelligence, start-ups, fintech and cybersecurity.
  • Bangladesh is the largest trade partner of India in South Asia.
  • India and Bangladesh have resolved border problems through the Land Boundary Agreement of 2015,
  • But have been in dialogue over the sharing of multiple rivers that define the borders and impact lives and livelihoods on both sides.
  • Both countries focus on the importance of safe, speedy, and sustainable return of forcibly,
  • They displace persons from Rakhine State to Myanmar, currently being shelter by Bangladesh.
  • Bangladesh has been hosting more than a million displace persons from Rakhine, the Rohingya. 2022 marks the fifth year of the exile of this community.

INDIA- BANGLADESH RELATION:

  • The year 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh.
  • the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan and the birth centenary of its Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
  • India was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh and establish diplomatic relations immediately after its independence in December 1971.
  • Defence Cooperation:
  • High-level exchanges between both the countries for River management project.
  • Joint exercises of the Army (Exercise Sampriti) and Navy (Exercise Milan) take place between both countries.
  • The two countries signed a major accord on border demarcation to end the 4-decade old disputes over boundaries. This came to be known as the Tin Bigha corridor.
  • India will help Bangladesh set up manufacturing and service centres for defence platforms that both countries possess with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency in defence manufacturing in Bangladesh, and will also provide the Bangladesh military with expert training, and technical and logistic support.

 

Energy Cooperation:
  • Under the Electricity Act 2003, Indian companies could pool power in an exchange.
  • This concept of a power pool within India can also be enlarged to cover the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal after the establishment of a sub-regional power pool and necessary interconnections among these countries are put in place.
  • India is also looking to export electricity from its northeastern region with the potential to generate some 58,971 MW to its eastern States through Bangladesh.
  • Bangladesh is currently importing 1160 MW of power from India.
  • Economic Relations
  • Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia. India’s exports to Bangladesh for the financial year 2018-19 (April-March) stood at US 9.21 billion USD and imports from Bangladesh for the same period stood at US 22 billion USD.
  • Bangladesh has appreciated the Duty-Free and Quota Free access given to Bangladeshi exports to India under South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) since 2011.

Read more: UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS

SOURCE: INDIAN EXPRESS