<p>With restoration of the six historic rail lines with Bangladesh, Kaladam multi-modal transport project in Myanmar, seamless vehicle movement agreement among BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) nations, India-Bhutan rail line and a Buddhist tourist circuit with Nepal, India is pushing hard to transform the country's Northeast into a hub of connectivity and trade with ASEAN nations, foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.</p>.<p>Addressing the Asian Confluence River Conclave 2022, the foreign minister said India has also extended line of credits and grants to Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan to construct roads, bridges, ports and other infrastructure to enhance cross border connectivity and trade as part of the Centre's Act East Policy. </p>.<p>"Instead of being regarded as a frontier, it (the Northeast region) will emerge as a hub in itself. Its resources and skills will have a more ready market and the supply lines will be shorter. The exposure to global makets will be diverse,” he said.</p>.<p>Stressing on enhancement of connectivity with Bangladesh, particularly with the Northeast, the foreign minister said restoration of the six rail links with Bangladesh, which remained dormant since 1965 war would be a major step in that direction. "Once operationalised, these will connect the Sahbajpur to Mahisashan and the rail link will be extended to connect Kulwara with Sahbajpur with Indian line of credit. It will not only build on the partnership that we have with ASEAN and Japan but will also make a difference to Indo-Pacific economic framework," he said. </p>.<p>"In February this year, 200MT of foodgrains were transported through waterways from Patna to Pandu in Guwahati via Bangladesh river route. Use of the transit routes will help in more econimic activities which could not be envisaged earlier," he said. </p>.<p>The foreign minister said India is collaborating on a series of road projects inside Bangladesh and efforts are on to enhance connectivity between Sikkim and Nepal. India is supplying 150MW hydro-power from a project in West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh while an oxygen plant has been set up in Nepal with 48 per cent FDI. "We are Nepal's largest trade partner and supplier of petrol from facilities in Assam and West Bengal. Similarly, Sikkim is collaborating with Bhutan to achieve 100 per cent organic status with an objective to boost agriculture production and organic trade," he said. </p>.<p>Talking about the multi-modal transport project on the river Kaladan in Myanamar, work on which is pending for years, Jaishankar said it was one of the hardest projects due to difficult topography and insurgency. "India is genuinely struggling with the complex enterprise but we are determined to get it done," he said.</p>.<p>Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also spoke during the event, pointed out that Northeastern region provides the only land link between India and the ASEAN countries and they share historic, cultural, social and economic ties. </p>
<p>With restoration of the six historic rail lines with Bangladesh, Kaladam multi-modal transport project in Myanmar, seamless vehicle movement agreement among BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) nations, India-Bhutan rail line and a Buddhist tourist circuit with Nepal, India is pushing hard to transform the country's Northeast into a hub of connectivity and trade with ASEAN nations, foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.</p>.<p>Addressing the Asian Confluence River Conclave 2022, the foreign minister said India has also extended line of credits and grants to Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan to construct roads, bridges, ports and other infrastructure to enhance cross border connectivity and trade as part of the Centre's Act East Policy. </p>.<p>"Instead of being regarded as a frontier, it (the Northeast region) will emerge as a hub in itself. Its resources and skills will have a more ready market and the supply lines will be shorter. The exposure to global makets will be diverse,” he said.</p>.<p>Stressing on enhancement of connectivity with Bangladesh, particularly with the Northeast, the foreign minister said restoration of the six rail links with Bangladesh, which remained dormant since 1965 war would be a major step in that direction. "Once operationalised, these will connect the Sahbajpur to Mahisashan and the rail link will be extended to connect Kulwara with Sahbajpur with Indian line of credit. It will not only build on the partnership that we have with ASEAN and Japan but will also make a difference to Indo-Pacific economic framework," he said. </p>.<p>"In February this year, 200MT of foodgrains were transported through waterways from Patna to Pandu in Guwahati via Bangladesh river route. Use of the transit routes will help in more econimic activities which could not be envisaged earlier," he said. </p>.<p>The foreign minister said India is collaborating on a series of road projects inside Bangladesh and efforts are on to enhance connectivity between Sikkim and Nepal. India is supplying 150MW hydro-power from a project in West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh while an oxygen plant has been set up in Nepal with 48 per cent FDI. "We are Nepal's largest trade partner and supplier of petrol from facilities in Assam and West Bengal. Similarly, Sikkim is collaborating with Bhutan to achieve 100 per cent organic status with an objective to boost agriculture production and organic trade," he said. </p>.<p>Talking about the multi-modal transport project on the river Kaladan in Myanamar, work on which is pending for years, Jaishankar said it was one of the hardest projects due to difficult topography and insurgency. "India is genuinely struggling with the complex enterprise but we are determined to get it done," he said.</p>.<p>Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also spoke during the event, pointed out that Northeastern region provides the only land link between India and the ASEAN countries and they share historic, cultural, social and economic ties. </p>