What is the news?

=> While participating in Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence(NADI) conclave Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Centre is implementing various rail, road and air connectivity projects worth ?1,34,200 crore in Northeast India.

Important projects:

=> 20 railway projects worth ?74,000 crore for 2,011 km, which are spread across the northeast.

=> 4,000 km of roads in the region at a total cost of ?58,000 crore.

=> 15 ongoing air connectivity projects in the northeast, costing around ?2,200 crore.

=> Implementation of Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid.

Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid( EWaCTG):

=> EWaCTG project aims to provide seamless connectivity between National Waterway-1 (NW-1) and NW-2 through the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes, and develop an economic corridor of 4,200 km of waterways and coastal shipping for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the North-Eastern States.

=> The aim is to pave the way for the regional integration of five countries — India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar — in the South Asian region.

Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes:

=> There is a Protocol (agreement) between India & Bangladesh.

=> Under this agreement vessels of either country can travel through specified river routes in the other country.

=> There are four specific river routes designated under the Protocol.

By: ASRAF UDDIN AHMED