BANGLADESH PRIME MINISTER SHEIKH Hasina’s four-day state visit, from October 3 to October 6, during which seven agreements were signed, has been described as successful by both sides. The two countries have enjoyed a long period of bonhomie in bilateral ties ever since Sheikh Hasina returned to power in 2009. Most bilateral disputes have been settled amicably, including those relating to land and maritime boundaries. Issues relating to water-sharing, still hanging fire, figured prominently in the bilateral talks held in New Delhi. There are 54 rivers the two countries share but only one water-sharing treaty relating to the waters of the Ganga has been signed so far.
The signing of a treaty on the Teesta waters is still in abeyance after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s last-minute objections scuttled the signing of an agreement in 2011. On assuming power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the Bangladesh government that the deal would be initialed before his first term expired. However, Mamata Banerjee remains unwilling to be a party to the deal. The lack of progress on this front, however, did not stop the two sides from signing an agreement under which India will be able to draw 1.82 cusecs of water from the Feni river, which flows into Bangladesh from Tripura.
COASTAL SURVEILLANCE
India also agreed to establish a coastal surveillance system in Bangladesh by installing 24 radar systems. This will help India keep an eye on maritime activity along the Bangladesh coastline. The two sides agreed to expedite a study on the prospects of entering into a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
This story is from the November 8, 2019 edition of FRONTLINE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 8, 2019 edition of FRONTLINE.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
Job Offers Withdrawn, Internships Now Unpaid
Engineering and business school graduates stare at a bleak future as job offers are withdrawn or revised, while delays in joining dates add to the climate of uncertainty.
In search of a road map
It is now increasingly clear that the government did not think through and provide for the consequences of the lockdown.
Clueless captain
As the nation longs for relief from the pandemic and the economic misery caused by an ill-planned lockdown, the government prefers symbolism over substance, exposing its lack of meaningful leadership.
RISING TREND
There are no signs of any let-up in the COVID case numbers well into the third phase of the lockdown even as issues of violation of physical distancing norms, mistreatment of front-line health workers, inadequate public health infrastructure and increasing distress among the poor come to the fore in most States, besides of course the low testing numbers and haphazard screening and isolation of suspect cases.
Dystopian pipe dream
The reluctance of the Narendra Modi regime to extend fiscal support to those in real need of help during a prolonged lockdown suggests that it is promoting further concentration of capital. Dire consequences await the economy and the polity.