International

It is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of nations in South Asia.  Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are its members.   Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The organization promotes development of economic and regional integration.  SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nations as an … Read more

  Adverse balance to trade:  To enable more Bangladeshi exports to flow into India, duty free entry was granted in 2011 under SAFTA. An SEZ in BG for Indian manufacturing companies has been mooted and notified. To offset economic asymmetry, India has granted BG generous line of credit (LOCs) and grants, with commitments reaching $ … Read more

BCIM is a sub-regional organisation of Asian nations aimed at greater integration of trade and investment between the four countries. The multi-modal corridor will be the first expressway between India and China and will pass through Myanmar and Bangladesh. The advantages are envisaged to accrue from greater market access for goods, services and energy, elimination … Read more

It was set up with the objective of strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean Region. The association comprises 22 Member States and 7 Dialogue Partners.  India, Australia, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Singapore, Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, UAE, Yemen, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros and Oman are … Read more

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries based on the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949.NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. The combined military spending … Read more

The Malabar exercises were first established in 1992 between India and the United States, but due to tensions arising from India’s nuclearization in 1998, it became an annual feature only in 2002.The bilateral exercises evolved from basic naval drills to include aircraft carriers in 2005 and added anti-piracy drills and search and rescue with a … Read more

As the third largest ocean woven together by trade routes, commands control of major sea-lanes carrying half of the world’s container ships, one third of the world’s bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of the world’s oil shipments, the Indian Ocean remains an important lifeline to international trade and transport. Home to nearly 2.7 billion … Read more

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions.  The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international … Read more

The Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean littoral nations that retain primary significance for India are Myanmar, Indonesia and Vietnam, all of which are of increasing strategic importance to India.As Myanmar is the only ASEAN country which India directly borders, the country is of critical importance to India’s security, especially given the serious insurgency-related problems that … Read more

The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan signed on September 19, 1960. The treaty was signed by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan. It was brokered by the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development). According to treaty, all the water of eastern rivers( Sutlej, Beas, Ravi) … Read more