Context:

• Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will embark on a four-day visit to India beginning from with an aim to further intensify bilateral relations between the two countries.
• There is scope for India-Bangladesh ties to move to the next level, based on cooperation, coordination and consolidation

Did you know:

• Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the west, north and the east and Myanmar to the east, whereas the Bay of Bengal lies to its south.
• Bangladesh’s land border with India is quite long stretching up to 2,582 miles.
• Indian states Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and West Bengal share the India-Bangladesh border.
• The country’s geography is dominated by the Ganges delta which empties into the Bay of Bengal the combined waters of several river systems, including those of the Brahmaputra and the Ganges
• The endangered Bengal tiger, the national animal..
• The borders of modern Bangladesh were established with the separation of Bengal and India in August 1947, when the region became East Pakistan as a part of the newly formed State of Pakistan following the Boundary of the Partition of India. Later the rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement led to the Liberation War and eventually resulted in the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent sovereign in 1971
• Bengalis, who speak the official Bengali language, make up 98% of the population of Bangladesh
• Islam is the country’s established religion
• In the recent years Bangladesh has registered notable success in using Microcredit as a tool for poverty alleviation, women empowerment, generation of income through export of RMG, population control, reducing child mortality and combating natural disasters;
•  The country continues to face the challenges of Rohingya refugee, terrorism, corruption, and erratic climate change

India- Bangladesh relations:

• Common members of SAARC, BIMSTEC, IORA and the Commonwealth. 
• The two countries share many cultural ties. (esp :Bengali-speaking)
• In 1971, the Bangladesh Liberation War broke out between East Pakistan and West Pakistan; India intervened in December 1971 on behalf of East Pakistan and helped secure East Pakistan’s independence from Pakistan as the country of Bangladesh.
• Since 2015, the notable developments  have taken like resolution of long-pending land and maritime boundaries.
• Observed increase in bilateral trade from US$9 billion to US$10.46 billion in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018-19, followed by US$7 billion to US$9 billion in FY 2017-18, an increase of 28.5 percent.

Present scenario:

• India and Bangladesh today enjoy one of the best periods of their relationship, with positive development in the areas of diplomatic, political, economic and security relations.
• The current Bangladesh government has uprooted security threats and acts of insurgency against India 
• The India-Bangladesh border is one of India’s most secured
• The signing of the Land Boundary Agreement in 2015 was a milestone
• Land Boundary Agreement in 2015
• Bilateral trade was a little over $9 billion in FY 2017-18 and Bangladeshi exports increased by 42.91%.
• Indian export of electricity increased by another 500 MW. A 1,600 MW power station with a dedicated transmission system is being developed to boost power trade.
• Train services are doing well, Five additional bus services were introduced in 2018
• Bangladeshi tourists accounted for 21.6% of the total percentage of tourists visiting India in 2018
• Bangladesh contributes 50% of India’s health tourism revenue
• Border killings have decreased.
• Since 2010, India has approved three lines of credit to Bangladesh of $7.362 billion to finance development projects. Due to bureaucratic red tape, just $442 million has been disbursed till December 2018
• Memoranda of understanding were also signed for cooperation between the naval forces.

Issues yet to be settled :

1. Teesta Water Sharing Agreement. 

• Teesta River  long river that rises in the eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of West Bengal and Sikkim through Bangladesh and enters the Bay of Bengal.
• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to endorse water-sharing terms agreed upon by Prime Minister Modi in 2015 has resulted in the current impasse.

2. National Register of Citizens (NRC)

• The National Register of Citizens (NRC) has left out 1.9 million Assamese from the list with a group labelled as “illegal immigrants from Bangladesh” living in Assam post-1971.(Bangladesh refuses)

3. Rohingya issue

• The Rohingya issue and India’s remarks in 2017 on the issue have been upsetting for Bangladesh .
• The Indian government is concerned over Rohingyas’ stay in India for security regions, it is looking for ways to deport over 40,000 Rohingyas living in the country illegally.

Way forward:

• Removal of non-tariff barriers will help Bangladeshi exports such as harmonising the standards for goods accepted by India
• Approved lines of credit to Bangladesh must be cleared on time
• Both countries must reach consensus  on the issues like NRC, Rohingya and Teesta rivers.

Conclusion:

• In a neighbourhood where distrust and cynicism prevail over friendship and hope(Pakistan & China), the relationship between the two countries(India & Bangladesh) has given hope for optimism.