On a four-day visit to India beginning on Sep 5 , Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hopes to enhance trade and strategic ties with New Delhi. Given strong political and diplomatic ties, she and her delegation are hoping to achieve a lot from the visit.

After landing in Delhi, Sheikh Hasina first visited the Nizamuddin Dargah. She later met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Draupadi Murmu on Sep 6. On the last day of her visit, she will visit the dargah at Ajmer. Her delegation includes Minister of Commerce Tipu Munshi, Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan and Liberation War Minister AKM Mozammel Haq.

River water-sharing, long-term supply of fossil fuel from India, removal of anti-dumping duty on jute exports from Bangladesh, enhancing rail, road and waterway connectivity and border security management are some of the issues that are likely to come up for discussion. The last time Sheikh Hasina came to India was in 2019. Bangladesh today is reeling under the impact of Covid, inflation, food crisis and lower job rates.

Bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India has been increasing over time. In 2021, the volume was over $ 14 billion. India has provided duty-free market access to Bangladesh under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) arrangement, which helped Bangladesh to increase its exports. In 2021, Bangladesh’s export to India was about $2 billion.  Bangladesh’s trade deficit with India is rising, and the country is yet to benefit from India’s large import demand, which it fulfils from the global market.

A joint study by India and Bangladesh has highlighted new means for cooperation through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). This is expected to help realize opportunities in areas of trade, transport and investment connectivity.

Bangladesh is also hoping to get financial support from India under Lines of Credit arrangement in order to go ahead with developmental projects. India has extended $2 billion worth of assistance under LoC, out of which $1 billion has been disbursed. Development projects cover sectors like railways, roads and transport, power generation, petrochemicals, economic zones and ports and shipping among others. However, Dhaka says that in 2010, India had committed to lending about $ 7.86 billion under three LoCs. The funds disbursal is slow as a result of which the desired result hasn’t been achieved.

ON bangla PM’S Agenda

Several pacts, including a water-sharing deal for Kushiyara river

Talks on agreement on the Teesta river water-sharing dispute

Long-term supply of fossil fuel from India, removal of anti-dumping duty on jute

Offering prayers at the famous Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Dargah in Ajmer

Four organisations of the Indian Chakma tribal communities on Sep 5 demanded India and Bangladesh fully implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHTs) Accord, signed in 1997, for the development and peace in the southeast region of the neighbouring country.

The demand came as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit, during which she would hold talks with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.

The Chakma tribal organisations, in a joint memorandum to both Prime Ministers, urged them to take joint measures for full implementation of the CHTs Accord, signed on December 2, 1997 and declare the CHTs as a "region of peace".

An Israeli military body has released a list of rules and restrictions for foreigners wanting to enter Palestinian areas of the West Bank, extending its control of daily life and movement in and out of the occupied territory.

COGAT, the Israeli body in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, stepped back from a number of controversial restrictions that had appeared in a draft of the rules published earlier this year, such as a requirement that people who form romantic relationships with local Palestinians register with Israeli authorities.

But many of the changes in the 90-page document released  on sep 4 appeared to be largely cosmetic. The U.S. ambassador expressed concern over the rules, and critics said they merely entrenched Israel’s 55-year control over the Palestinian population in the territory.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war — territories Palestinians seek for an independent state.

The government is keen on Indian bonds joining the global indices but it will not make any changes in tax laws to get bonds listed overseas. The reaction comes after Morgan Stanley said it sees a good chance for JP Morgan to include Indian government bonds in its index.

Apparently, some indices had sought exemption from capital gains tax as a condition for listing the Government of India bonds.

The official clarified that the timing of the listing completely depends upon overseas index operators (JP Morgan and Euroclear) agreeing to the centre’s terms and conditions on taxation issues. The official said that JP Morgan has not demanded any change in tax requirement, so it is likely that it will include Indian bonds anytime soon. Morgan Stanley sees a good chance of JP Morgan announcing the inclusion of G-secs on its global index.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley also stated that for India achieving Euroclear is easier than the market assumption and the authority’s perception. It said that what Euroclear wants is a clarification of what capital gains tax rate to pay and how to pay it.

The government will raise Rs 20,000 crore through green bonds in the second half of this financial year, as part of its borrowing of Rs 5.86 lakh crore.  The Centre is working on the contours of the green bond framework.

The green bond framework will contain the details of the projects to be financed.

The Indian government on  Sep 5 slammed Wikipedia for publishing false information on cricketer Arshdeep Singh's page that linked him to the separatist Khalistani movement, saying such incitement cannot be permitted.

Singh faced vitriolic attacks on social media by some users after he dropped a crucial catch in a thrilling Super 4 Asia Cup clash between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sep 4.

After the missed catch, information on his Wikipedia page was changed to link him to the separatist Khalistani movement.

Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar took to Twitter to slam such a move.

Q1. The Centre has decided to rename Rajpath and Centre Vista lawns stretching from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate  as

1. Kartavya Path
2. Dharma Path
3. Sewak Path
4. Veer Path
5. None of These

Q2. The bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India in 2021 stood at

1. $ 10 billion
2. $ 12 billion
3. $ 14 billion
4. $ 16 billion
5. None of These

Q3. Name the state whose chief minister on Sep 5 has  announced a Teacher’s Day gift by implementing UGC’s pay scale as per the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations for all college teachers ?

1. Uttar Pradesh
2. Bihar
3. Uttarakhand
4. Punjab
5. None of These

Q4. Name the founder member and national vice president of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party who has resigned  from the party ?

1. Mahendra Rajbhar 
2. Om Prakash Rajbhar
3. Awadhesh Rajbhar
4. Arun Rajbhar
5. None of These

Q5. What is Chakma ?

1. Anti-Tank missile developed by DRDO
2. A tribal dominated district of Mizoram
3. A form of tribal art
4. A tribe of India and Bangladesh
5. None of These

Answers

1-------------------- 1   Kartavya Path

2----------------------3  $ 14 billion

3----------------------4 Punjab

4--------------------- 1  Mahendra Rajbhar 

5-----------------------4   A tribe of India and Bangladesh 

Eggs and chicken won’t be served at any cost at juvenile homes in Madhya Pradesh, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra announced, ten days after CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan-headed women and child development (WCD) department’s notification included eggs and chicken in the diet for inmates of juvenile homes.

The minister cleared confusion over the WCD department’s August 25 notification containing rules for juvenile reform homes and allied centres for children, under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

As per the notification of the rules, the list of minimum nutritional and diet standards for juvenile shelter homes/allied homes included serving chicken once a week or eggs four times every week.