Investors, entrepreneurs, policy makers, ministers and government officials from India and Bangladesh came together in Dhaka recently for a two-day long business conclave, in an effort to enhance bilateral trade and connectivity.
The conclave also aimed to tap Bangladesh's business potential with India's northeastern region and West Bengal state.
The conclave titled 'A New Phase in Bilateral Economic Relations' was organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce and the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry with support from the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
The 31-member Indian delegation was led by Minister of Development of North Eastern Region, (DoNER) Gen. V.K. Singh (retired).
The participants focused on finding ways for the removal of bottlenecks in the free flow of trade and commerce between the two countries and strengthening connectivity on all fronts.
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Gen. Singh said, "We have connectivity issues. We have tried to smoothen some of them but there is a great amount that is still there. And we are working on it to ensure that our land check posts which exist for customs, integrated posts that exist for customs and tariff are facilitators for trade activity that can take place at the border."
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and Commerce and Industry minister of Tripura, Tapan Chakraborty, also attended the programme that laid special focus on boosting trade with the northeastern region.
Sangma invited Bangladesh for making joint investments in thermal power projects and agro-forest sectors in Meghalaya, a state rich in natural resources.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said, "Meghalaya is one of the states that is blessed with lots of resources-natural and human and it is therefore a good reason enough to explore the potentiality of trade and commerce engagement with Meghalaya. We have helped in far preceding engagement as to how Bangladesh can actually take advantage of the resources of different Northeastern states including Meghalaya."
"And one of the areas that we have identified was the sector of Power. In Meghalaya, we are blessed with a number of rivers which can be harnessed for the generation of power," he added.
India shares a 4,096 km long border with Bangladesh out of which 1,880-km is with the northeast region. A huge potential lies to develop cross-border trade.
Bangladesh is currently India's biggest trading partner among the SAARC countries.
The two sides are keen to further strengthen trade relations and explore the maximum potential of trade expansion.
