Bilateral Relations
Brief on India-Bangladesh Bilateral Relationship
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India and Bangladesh, as neighboring countries, are bound by shared historical, geographical, cultural, linguistic, and social bonds. The bilateral relations are enriched by multi-faceted cooperation in the fields of trade, multi-modal connectivity, development partnership, security and border management, defence cooperation, education, capacity building, cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. Bangladesh is at the converging point of India’s "Neighbourhood First” policy, "Act East” policy, SAGAR doctrine, the Indo-Pacific vision, and an important partner in the development of India’s northeastern region.
2. During July 2024, there were protests by students in Bangladesh on the issue of quota in government jobs, which turned into a public agitation against the incumbent government. As a result of this, the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh on 05 August 2024 and Prof. Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of the Interim Government of Bangladesh on 08 August 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first leader to send a congratulatory tweet on 08 August 2024 to Professor Muhammad Yunus after his swearing in as Chief Adviser of the Interim Government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus held a telephonic conversation on 16 August 2024 where PM Modi reaffirmed India's support for a democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive Bangladesh and emphasized India's commitment to supporting the people of Bangladesh through various development initiatives. At the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, Chief Adviser Yunus participated in the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit on 17 August 2024. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met with Foreign Affairs Adviser of Bangladesh Mr. Touhid Hossain, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York on 24 September 2024. The 85th Meeting of India-Bangladesh Joint Committee on sharing of Ganga Water was held on 14 November 2024 in Dhaka. The 45th Joint Boundary Conference between India and Bangladesh for Mizoram sector was held from 12-14 November 2024 in Kolkata. The 6th Meeting of the Sub-Group on Infrastructure of Integrated Check Posts/Land Customs Stations between Bangladesh and India. Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary of India paid an official visit to Bangladesh on 09 December 2024. He called on Chief Adviser H.E. Dr. Muhammad Yunus & Foreign Affairs Adviser H.E. Md. Touhid Hossain. He held Foreign Office Consultations with his counterpart. Chief Adviser H.E. Dr. Muhammad Yunus visited the High Commission of India to pay homage and sign the coldolence book opened in the memory of Former Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away on 26 December 2024. On 05 January 2025, 95 Indian and 90 Bangladeshi fishermen were released in a mutual repatriation operation that was concluded at sea between the respective Coast Guard authorities.
3. In the first half of this year, there were multiple high level visits and bilateral interactions between the countries underlining the primacy of India-Bangladesh relations. The then Foreign Minister of Bangladesh paid an official visit to India from 7-9 February 2024. During this visit, he called on the President of India and held bilateral meetings with External Affairs Minister and Commerce & Industries Minister. On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conclave, External Affairs Minister called on the then Prime Minister of Bangladesh on 17 February 2024. Foreign Secretary of India visited Dhaka from 8-9 May 2024 as part of high level exchanges. The then Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and his Council of Ministers in New Delhi on 9 June 2024, and later visited India on a state visit on 21-22 June 2024.
4. Bangladesh was invited by India as a guest country to the G20 Summit held under India’s presidency in 2023. The then PM Hasina attended the G-20 Summit in New Delhi on 8-10 September 2023. The then Foreign Minister attended the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in March 2023 and G-20 Development Ministers’ Meeting in June 2023. Bangladesh PM participated virtually in the Inaugural Session of the Voice of the Global South Summit held on 11 January 2023 and the second Voice of the Global South Summit held on 17 November 2023.
Security and Border Management:
5. There are nearly 70 ongoing bilateral institutional mechanisms between India and Bangladesh covering areas such as security, trade & commerce, power & energy, transport & connectivity, science & technology, defence, rivers, maritime affairs etc. There has been active cooperation between relevant agencies of both countries in police matters, anti-corruption activities and in countering trans-border crimes such as illicit drug trafficking, fake currency, human trafficking etc. Bilateral cooperation also covers cooperative management mechanisms for the security of 4,096 kms long international border between India and Bangladesh through border fencing, joint inspection of boundary pillars, and joint boundary demarcation, including of riverine boundaries. India seeks cooperation from Bangladesh border authorities to complete border fencing as a sustainable measure to ensure border security. Other bilateral mechanisms such as the DG Level talks between Border Guarding Forces, DG Level talks between nodal Drugs Control Agencies, etc. are held regularly.
Defence Cooperation:
6. In the defence sector, significant bilateral exchanges took place in 2023-2024 with incoming and outgoing visits of the Chiefs of the Indian and Bangladesh Armed Forces. At the invitation of Bangladesh, Indian Air Chief visited Dhaka on a three-day visit from 26 February to 1 March 2024, during which, he visited Bangladesh Air Force Academy, Jessore and National Defence College, Mirpur. A three-member delegation of National Defence College, Bangladesh led by Commandant NDC, visited National Defence College, New Delhi in May 2024. Chief of Naval Staff of India visited Bangladesh in July 2024 and reviewed the Passing out Parade at Bangladesh Naval Academy. Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff visited New Delhi from 27-29 April 2023 and on his invitation, Chief of Staff of Indian Army paid a visit to Bangladesh in June 2023 as reviewing officer for Passing Out Parade at Bangladesh Military Academy. The 5th Annual Defence Dialogue and 4th Tri-Services Talks were held from 20-21 August 2023 in Dhaka to comprehensively review ongoing defence cooperation. Bangladesh Chief of Naval Staff visited India from 12-15 September 2023 as part of a series of exchanges under defence cooperation. The Army Chiefs of India and Bangladesh held a virtual meeting on 05 November 2024 and identified areas of cooperation.
7. As part of the annual visit of Muktijoddhas (Liberation War veterans) on the occasion of Victory Day, a delegations of 08 Muktijoddhas and 02 serving officers of BDAF participated in 'Vijay Diwas 2024' celebration at Kolkata in December 2024. In reciprocity, a delegation comprising of 08 War Veterans and 02 serving officers of Indian Armed Forces participated in Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka. Under the Scholarship scheme for Muktijoddhas, 2000 scholarships are provided every year to wards of Muktijoddhas to undertake Higher Secondary and undergraduate studies in Bangladesh. So far, 24,018 scholarships have been awarded the scholarship. Under the Muktijoddha Medical Scheme, Muktijoddhas are facilitated to avail medical treatment in India, since 2019.
Multimodal Connectivity:
A.Railway Connectivity:
8. India and Bangladesh have consistently stepped up their cooperation in the railways sector. India’s Lines of credit(LoC) for Bangladesh aims at strengthening the railway infrastructure and capacity building of Bangladesh.
9. Efforts for greater connectivity to forge enduring people-centric partnership have resulted in rehabilitation of six pre-1965 rail links between India and Bangladesh. PM Modi and the then PM Hasina inaugurated the 6th cross-border rail link between Agartala in India and Akhaura in Bangladesh on 1 November 2023. The rail link will provide an alternate route to India’s North-East and pave the way for greater sub-regional connectivity. The other five rail links made operational between India and Bangladesh include: Petrapole (India)-Benapole (Bangladesh); Gede (India) – Darshana (Bangladesh); Singhabad (India) - Rohanpur (Bangladesh); Radhikapur (India) – Birol (Bangladesh); and Haldibari (India) - Chilahati (Bangladesh).
10. There are three passenger trains operating between the two countries – (i) Maitri Express (since 2008, connecting Kolkata and Dhaka); (ii) Bandhan Express (since 2017, connecting Kolkata and Khulna); and (iii) Mitali Express (since June 2022, between New Jalpaiguri and Dhaka). The operations of these passenger trains have been temporarily suspended since August 2024, on security considerations. However, cross-border operation of goods trains are continuing on designated routes.
11. India completed supply of 420 railway freight wagons (in batches) to Bangladesh Railway on 18th December 2024. 37th Inter-Governmental Railway Meeting (IGRM) between India and Bangladesh held in Rail Bhawan, New Delhi from 20-22 January, 2025.
B.Road and Inland Water Connectivity:
12. Currently five bus routes are operational between India and Bangladesh connecting the cities of Kolkata, Agartala and Guwahati (in India) with Dhaka and Khulna (in Bangladesh).
13. In a significant step towards further improving cross-border trade and immigration infrastructure, Shri Amit Shah, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, inaugurated the Passenger Terminal Building and Maitri Dwar at Land Port, Petrapole in West Bengal on 27 October 2024. For facilitating trade and transit between the two countries through inland waterways, India and Bangladesh have a Protocol on Inland Waterways Trade and Transit (PIWTT), that has been operational since 1972. PIWTT permits movement of goods for inter-country trade as well as transit over barges/vessels through the river systems of India and Bangladesh. Cruise services between both countries have commenced on inland waterways route. World’s longest river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas plied through inland waterways of India and Bangladesh in February – March 2023. Vide 2nd Addendum to PIWTT, signed on 20 May 2020, a new route (Sonamura-Daudkandi) was added, connecting Tripura with India’s national waters through Bangladesh.
C.Port Connectivity:
14. As of now, there exists a network of six Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) between India and Bangladesh, namely, Petrapole (West Bengal), Agartala (Tripura), Sabroom (Tripura), Srimantapur (Tripura), Sutarkandi (Assam), and Dawki (Meghalaya). Five more ICPs (four in West Bengal and one in Mizoram) are in the planning stage. The operationalization of the ‘Agreement on the use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports (ACMP)’ has facilitated the movement of transit cargo to-and-from North-East India to the rest of the country.
Economic and Commercial Cooperation:
15. Bangladesh is India’s biggest trade partner in South Asia and India is the second biggest trade partner of Bangladesh in Asia. In FY 2023-24, the total bilateral trade is reported to be USD 14.01 billion with India exporting USD 12.05 billion and Bangladesh exporting USD 1.97 billion of goods. Under South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), India provides duty-free, quota-free access to nearly all Bangladeshi goods. India is also among the largest export destination in Asia for Bangladeshi goods.
India and Bangladesh formally launched a new mechanism to settle trade in Indian Rupees (INR) on 11 July 2023. This mechanism of settling bilateral trade in INR was introduced to help reduce dependency on US Dollar for bilateral trade and also reduce transaction cost & time, improve the speed, efficiency, and convenience and therefore enhance over trade volumes.
16. New areas of commercial cooperation, such as in the Startup sector, have emerged over the years. An India-Bangladesh Startup Bridge was inaugurated in July 2023. The first Startup delegation from Bangladesh visited India in May 2023 which was followed by a reciprocal visit from India to the first Bangladesh Startup Summit in July 2023.
Power and Energy Cooperation:
17. Cooperation in power and energy sector has become one of the crucial pillars of India- Bangladesh relations. Bangladesh is currently importing 1160 MW of power from India. The Joint Working Group (JWG)/Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on Power provides an institutional framework to promote bilateral cooperation in cross border trade of electricity. The Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant, a 1320 MW power plant built in Khulna with Indian assistance is operational in supplying electricity to Bangladesh grid. India, Nepal, and Bangladesh signed a trilateral agreement in October 2024 to export 40 MW of electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh through India's power grid. The trilateral power transaction through Indian grid started on 15 November 2024.
18. India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline between both countries for carrying High Speed Diesel from India into Bangladesh was virtually inaugurated by both Prime Ministers on 18 March 2023, which has contributed significantly to address Bangladesh's energy security. Further, ONGC Videsh Limited, in a consortium with Oil India Limited, is present in off-shore oil exploration in Bangladesh. Indian Oil was registered as a G2G supplier in 2023 and has been supplying petroleum, oil and lubricants to Bangladesh.
Development Partnership:
19. Bangladesh is one of India’s largest development partners in the world. India has extended three Lines of Credits (LoC) to Bangladesh in the last 8 years amounting to nearly USD 8 billion for development of infrastructure in various sectors including roads, railways, shipping and ports. In addition to LoCs, India has also been providing grant assistance to Bangladesh for various infrastructure projects including, construction of Akhaura-Agartala rail link, dredging of inland waterways in Bangladesh and construction of India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline. The first ever Defence LoC of USD 500 million has also been extended to Bangladesh.
20. In addition, High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) constitute an active pillar of India’s development assistance to Bangladesh. Government of India has funded 79 HICDPs including construction of student hostels, academic buildings, skill development and training institutions, cultural centres, and other community infrastructure in various districts of Bangladesh. Another 16 HICDPs are being implemented, with all the 95 projects amounting to over USD 50 million.
Training and Capacity Building:
21. Human resource development and capacity building is a key component of India’s development cooperation efforts in Bangladesh through its several ongoing training programs and scholarships. India has been providing training to Bangladeshi officials from civil services, police, judiciary, an other professionals, at various premier training institutes in India. Since 2014, more than 7,175 civil servants and 1,250 judicial officers have been trained at Indian institutions in the fields of administration, police, customs, narcotics detection, nuclear science etc. Further, 1065 Civil Servants have been given special trained under a 2018 Agreement to train 1,800 mid-career Bangladeshi civil servants. Since 2015, approx 1,350 defence personnel have been trained in India. Also, 894 scholarships have been awarded under the Suborno Jayanti Scholarships for Bangladeshi students in two years. So far in 2024-25, ICCR scholarship have been given to 539 Bangladeshi students. A twenty member delegation from Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Bangladesh(DCAB) journalists visited India during 05-11 May 2024. Second delegation comprising nine members from DCAB and other journalists visited India during 15-21 December 2024. Both the delegations participated in specialized training organised for them in New Delhi. India also provides 2000 scholarships every year to wards of Muktijoddhas (Liberation War veterans) to undertake Higher Secondary and undergraduate studies in Bangladesh. Under this Scholarship, 24,018 scholarships have been awarded so far.
Cultural Cooperation:
22. The Bangladesh Youth Delegation was started in 2012 as an important youth connect initiative, to foster goodwill and understanding of each other’s values and culture among the youth. So far, more than 850 Bangladeshi youth from diverse disciplines from across Bangladesh have visited India as part of this programme. A 100-member Bangladesh youth delegation visited India in February 2024, during which they toured a number of prominent sites of academic and cultural interests. They also called on the President of India. A nine-member Bangladeshi dance troupe ‘Kolpotoru’ participated in the ‘Bali Yatra Festival 2024’ held in Cuttack (Odisha). Sahitya Akadmi of India honoured Rajshahi University’s Prof. Shafiqunnabee Samadi with Premchand Fellowship for his contributions to comparative literature in Bangla and Hindi. ‘Priyo Maloti’ a feature film from Bangladesh participated in International Film festival of India in Goa, under the ‘Cinema of World’ section. A musical evening was held at Indian Cultural Centre in Dhaka to mark the 53rd anniversary of ‘Maitri Diwas’ on 06 December 2024.
Visas:
23. To strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Bangladesh, and to cater to the rising demand for Indian visas, visa services are usually provided across the 16 centres in Bangladesh. However, subsequent to deterioration of law and order situation in Bangladesh after 05 August 2024, visa operations have been limited. Indian Mission and Posts in Bangladesh are continuing to issue visas to cater to emergency and urgent needs of Bangladeshi nationals including medical patients, students, as well as workers and students seeking to visit India to apply for visas to third countries. The visa operations will be normalized gradually depending on the improvement in security situation.
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