Agreements/MoUs Between India and Bangladesh

Agreements/MoUs Between India and Bangladesh

Question: Recently, PM Narendra Modi accomplished a diplomatic mission on his visit to Dhaka. Provide a list of the 22 MoUs/agreements between India and Bangladesh during this visit.

• Land boundary agreement is a protocol for the exchange of instruments of ratification concerning the India Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement 1974 and Protocol of 2011 to the LBA. The agreement concerns demarcation o land boundary between the two nations and related matters of 1974 and 2011 protocol with the exchange of instrument of ratification

• Exchange of letters on modalities for implementation of the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement 1974 and Protocol of 2011 to the LBA took place. Letter made specifications of modalities for implementation of the LBA agreement

Inter Governmental Agreements

• Agreement on coastal shipping between India and Bangladesh: Agreement aims to promote two way trade between India and Bangladesh via ports

• Shipping cargo plies between the two nations through Colombo/Singapore/Klang ports

• Coastal shipping time and congestion in land ports will be reduced through this agreement

• Renewal of Bilateral Trade Agreement: Renewal of this agreement envisages promotion of trade through rail, waterways and land between the two nations and provides for transit in the NE region. This also facilitates access to Bangladesh cargo through India to Nepal and Bhutan. The agreement is valid for 5 years after which it will be automatically renewed

• Agreement on Bilateral Cooperation between Bureau of Indian Standard and Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute on cooperation in standardisation

• Bilateral Cooperation Agreement between Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) and Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) on cooperation in the field of Standardisation.

• Agreement on Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati Bus Service and Protocol: This agreement promotes P2P contact and provides buses to ply the route 6 days in a week

• Agreement on Kolkata-Dhaka- Agartala Bus Service and Protocol: This will reduce travel distance between state capitals of Tripura and WB

Inter Governmental Protocol/Programme

• Protocol on Inland Waterways Transit and Trade (PIWTT): This was first signed in 1972 and it provides mutually beneficial arrangements for use of waterways between the two nations for passage of goods between the two nations and the third country through mutually agreed terms. This agreement is valid for 5 years subject to auto renewal

• Cultural Exchange Programme between the Government of India and the Government of Bangladesh for the year 2015-2017

• MoU between Government of India and Government of Bangladesh for extending a new Line of Credit (LoC) of US Dollar 2.0 billion: India will extend the new LoC with same terms and conditions as agreed to in existing LoC of USD 800 million extended by India to Bangladesh

• MoU between India and Bangladesh on Use of Chittagong and Mongla Ports for Movement of Goods to and from India. Ports are to be accessed through waterways, road, rail or multimodal transport

• MoU between India and Bangladesh on Blue Economy and Maritime Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean: JWG was also set up for this purpose

• MoU between Government of India and Government of Bangladesh on Bilateral Cooperation for Prevention of Human Trafficking: Special stress is given to prevention of trafficking of women and children and safe as well as effective reintegration of the victims

• MoU between Government of India and Government of Bangladesh on the prevention of Smuggling and Circulation of Fake Currency Notes: This involves interaction between members of the Joint Task Force for tackling FCN between the two nations

• MoU on establishment of Indian Special Economic Zone in Bangladesh

• MoU between the Coast Guards of India and Bangladesh: This is for joint maritime security and prevention of crimes at sea

• (IECC-SA) of SAARC to supply 70000 Improved Cook Stoves to Bangladesh

• MoU between Jamia Milia Islamia, India and University of Rajshahi of Bangladesh for student and faculty exchange and joint publication of research, trainings and lecturers

• MoU between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India, and University of Dhaka, Bangladesh for Joint research on Oceanography in Bay of Bengal

Statements/Letters of Intent

• Statement of Intent for Cooperation in the Field of Education to enhance bilateral cooperation in the education sector

• Handing over of a Letter of Consent to the Chairman, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India by Chairman, Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) of Bangladesh to commence operations in Bangladesh by LIC; this will facilitate the operations of LIC in Bangladesh through a JV

• Agreement between Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and BSNL and Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) to provide hired bandwidth to Agartala

Facts and Stats

• Trade volume between the two nations recently stood at USD 6.5 billion but Bangladesh’s exports to India are merely USD 500 million worth

• India and Bangladesh share a border with 5 Indian states between them namely WB, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura

• Better security and bilateral ties between the two nations resulted from the PM’s Dhaka visit