Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla
NEW DELHI: Describing the northeast as the link between two fundamental pillars of India's foreign policy – Neighbourhood First and Act East – foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said Thursday India was working with its neighbours and other friendly countries like Japan to improve infrastructure and connectivity in the region, while also facilitating greater regional integration.
"We have a vision for this region that is captured in the 3 Cs – Connectivity, Commerce, and Cultural Commonalities," said Shringla.
Shringla said India and Japan had taken up projects for economic modernization of the northeast and regional connectivity.
"Under this initiative, several projects in the area of connectivity, water and sanitation and forest management, including the Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project, are currently ongoing in different northeastern states," he said. The top diplomat was addressing a gathering organised by ICFAI University, Sikkim.
On connectivity with Bangladesh, he said India was upgrading the infrastructure of Land Customs Stations for enabling smooth cross-border movement of goods and people. India. He recalled that a new inland waterways route connecting Tripura to Bangladesh was also operationalized recently with the first ever export consignment from Bangladesh reaching Tripura through the waterways.
While India is working on the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar, the foreign secretary said there was also progress in work on India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project connecting the northeast with Myanmar and Thailand. "The first will give the northeast access to the sea. The second will provide land connectivity with South East Asia. Two international entry/ exit points were inaugurated at Tamu-Moreh and Rih-Zowkhawthar to increase connectivity with MyRead More – Source
