The Centre for Social and Economic Progress was delighted to host the webinar and launch of the paper “Beyond the Coastline: India’s Land Connectivity Options around the Bay of Bengal” by Riya Sinha and Constantino Xavier on Wednesday, April 10, 4:00 – 5:15 PM. Attendees joined online via Zoom. The seminar was also be streamed live on YouTube.

Paper Abstract

Under the ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies, India’s regional connectivity strategy has predominantly focused on maritime domains, including new ports and shipping links. While this has helped deepen economic linkages between South Asia and Southeast Asia, inland connectivity initiatives have lagged, with persistent delays and obstacles affecting transportation infrastructure and economic integration beyond coastal areas around the Bay of Bengal. India’s Northeast region, which is yet to be effectively linked to the sub-region formed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal, continues to lack any significant economic land bridge or corridor with Southeast Asia. For instance, the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar corridor has failed to materialise, and initiatives such as the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project or the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway remain bogged down by delays. While the rest of Asia’s hinterland economies are now rapidly connecting via rail, there is still no progress on a rail link between South and Southeast Asia.

This paper argues that India must prioritise the development of multimodal transportation infrastructure beyond coastal areas to bridge the current gap between maritime and land-based initiatives around the Bay of Bengal and spur the creation of sub-regional, regional, and inter-regional economic corridors. We assess the challenges and opportunities for policymakers to pursue the hard and soft dimensions of connectivity, which can accelerate the much-delayed regional integration in the Bay of Bengal hinterland. The hard transportation and logistics dimension includes four sectors: road linkages, rail connectivity, and both land and dry ports to facilitate mobility, including trade in goods. Beyond transportation infrastructure, on the softer side, there are five additional domains warranting attention: institutional capacity for coordinating connectivity initiatives between central and state levels; instruments to support cross-border stability and security; new international partnerships, especially with regional organisations and multilateral institutions; closer regional collaboration on infrastructure norms and standards; and increased engagement with the private sector.

Click here to read the paper

Click here to register for the event 

Presenters:

• Constantino Xavier is a Fellow in Foreign Policy and Security Studies at CSEP, where he leads the Sambandh Initiative on Regional Connectivity. He is also a Non- Resident Fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, in Washington DC. His research focus on India’s changing role as a regional power, and the challenges of security, connectivity and democracy across South Asia and the Indian Ocean.
• Riya Sinha is an Associate Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Security vertical. She is also the 2022 Visiting Fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington DC. At CSEP, Riya coordinates the Sambandh Regional Connectivity Initiative, focused on conducting data-driven research to map India’s links with its neighbouring countries. She also co-manages the Sambandh Policy Dialogue, a track 1.5 format, private, and off-the- record forum for policy-makers and experts to exchange perspectives on connectivity and geo- economic relations between India, South, and Southeast Asia, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indo- Pacific regions. Her research interest includes regional economic connectivity in South Asia, particularly in the area of trade, logistics, infrastructure, and border management. Prior to joining CSEP, Riya was a researcher at the Bureau of Research on Industry and Economic Fundamentals (BRIEF), where she conducted research on regional supply chains, Cross-Line of Control Trade in Jammu and Kashmir and steered time-release studies across various sea ports for ease of doing business (trading across borders) in India.

Panelists:

• Gen. Manoj Mukund Naravane is an Indian Army General and the 28th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS). Before COAS, he served as the 40th Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS), General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command, and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Army Training Command. During his career, he was awarded the Sena Medal which was given to him for effectively commanding the battalion under him in Jammu and Kashmir. He also received the Visishta Seva Medal for his services as the Inspector General of the Assam Rifles in Nagaland. He holds the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in praise of his efficient commanding of strike corps.
• Riva Ganguly Das joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1986. She has served as High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Ambassador to Romania, Albania and Moldova and has served as Consul General in Shanghai and New York. She has also done postings in Spain and the Netherlands and has served in various capacities at headquarters dealing with Nepal, public diplomacy, Latin America and Caribbean, passport and consular, and the United Nations. She was the Director-General of Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Before her retirement, she was Secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs.
• Sohel Kazani is the Founder and Executive Director of Bharat Freight. With the vision of growth and stability, he served Interport Impex Pvt. Ltd. as an executive and within a year, he was appointed as director in 1998 for the same. Now owning 99% of the shareholding of the company, he also holds the position of Managing Director. The journey that started from 1998 with Interport Impex is now anomalously growing with more than 20+ partnership companies under the umbrella of brand “Bharat Freight”. His personal achievements entails special awards like Rashtriya Ratan Award (Jewel of the Nation) – 2003, and heading the activation of the International North South Transport Corridor since 2014. He is on the governing council of Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Advisor on Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) and Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India (AMTOI).
• Shahidul Haque was the longest-serving Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, from January 2013 to December 2019. Currently, he is the Bangabandhu Chair at Delhi University, India, and a Professorial Fellow at the North South University, Bangladesh. He is also a Senior Advisor on Migration and Humanitarian Policy at the International Organization for Migration (IOM). His previous postings include Missions in Geneva, Bangkok, and London. His long career in the public service and beyond spans migration and refugee issues, human and labour rights, climate change, displacement and sustainable development, and Bangladesh’s relations with its neighbours and major global powers. Haque holds a dual Masters degree in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Massachusetts, and in Social Work from the University of Dhaka.
• Amitendu Palit is Senior Research Fellow and Research Lead (Trade and Economics) at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. He is an economist specialising in international trade and investment policies, FTAs, supply chains, connectivity, geopolitics of trade and the Indian economy. He sits on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Trade and Investment. He is Senior Research Fellow (Honorary) at the Wong Centre for Study of MNCs and Adviser for Athena Infonomics. Earlier, Amitendu worked for several years in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, and in the Ministries of Industry and Civil Supplies. He handled macroeconomic policies, including trade, investment, industrial development, SMEs, entrepreneurship and futures trading. He was also on Advisory Committees of the Planning Commission of India and the ILO. He has authored several books and academic journal papers and is a commentator for Channel News Asia (CNA), Bloomberg News and BBC. He is also a columnist for Financial Express.

For general inquiries, please contact Gurmeet Kaur at GKaur@csep.org and Ayesha Manocha for media inquiries at AManocha@csep.org.