BD-India dialogue on Oct 26

A policy dialogue on border bazaars will be held next week in India to discuss their impact on alleviating poverty of the people dwelling in remote areas of the two countries near the line, officials said.
Cuts International, India will arrange the first-ever dialogue on the issue on October 26 in Guwahati, Assam. A local development organisaiton is coordinating with Cuts for holding the programme.
The dialogue will focus on better understanding about proper functioning and future of the existing border bazaars (makeshift markets that continue operation for a fixed time).
It will also suggest achieving comprehensive understanding of economic benefits - poverty reduction effects in terms of income and employment generation - from the border bazaars.
Besides, improving trade and socio-economic relations, including people-to-people connectivity, between the north-east regions of India and Bangladesh will be discussed in the dialogue.
A number of government officials and representatives of non-government organisaitons (NGOs) of India and Bangladesh will join the event to discuss how the border bazaars can help promote living standard of the people across the bordering areas of the two countries.
A high official of Ministry of Commerce (MoC), who will join the policy dialogue, said it will discuss how the border bazaars can help alleviate poverty of the people living within five-kilometre of the Bangladesh-India border.  
Bangladesh government has finalised proposed amendments to the existing memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up new border bazaars and their mode of operation. Now these will be sent to India for its consent, said officials concerned.
The finalised amendments include raising the amount of border bazaar trading by a single vendor to US$ 200 from the existing $ 100, increase in the frequency (time and date) of border bazaars, and the number of vendors on both sides of the border, they added.
"We have finalised our draft amendment proposal on border bazaars. These will be sent to India soon through Ministry of Foreign Affairs," MoC senior secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamoon told the FE.  
At present, equal 25 traders from both sides are allowed to sell and buy locally-produced crops and goods in the bazaars. But Bangladesh has proposed to raise the number to 50 in the amendment.
The country has also proposed trading of new items, such as - footwear and soft drinks etc, in the border bazaars. Earlier, some 16 items were shortlisted for trading at the bazaars.
The items include agricultural and horticultural products, spices, minor forest products (excluding timber), fresh and dry fish, dairy and poultry products, cottage industry commodities, handloom and handicraft products, garments and others.
The borders bazaars deal with the traditional system of marketing local produces at a limited scale of trading by the people living within five-km of the border of the two countries.  
The bazaars are operated within 150 yards of zero-line of the international border with one part on the Indian side and the other on Bangladesh side. Trading takes place once a week among the people living within five-km radius of the border.
During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in 2010 Bangladesh and India agreed to set up border bazaars on a pilot basis in selected areas.
The two countries signed a MoU and fixed the mode of operation of border bazaars on October 23, 2010. Later, an addendum to the mode of operation of the bazaars was also signed on May 15, 2012.
Four border bazaars - at Kalaichar (Meghalaya border), Balat (Meghalaya border), Kamalasagar (Tripura border), and Srinagar (Tripura border) - are now operational.
Both the governments subsequently agreed to establish two new border bazaars across Tripura border and four in Meghalaya border. Bangladesh proposed to set up border bazaars in Companiganj (Sylhet)-East Khas Hills (Meghalaya), Tahirpur (Sunamganj)-South West Khas Hills (Meghalaya), Dhobaura (Mymensingh)-South Garo Hills (Meghalaya), and Ryngkua (Sunamganj)-East Khasi Hills (Meghalaya).
India also proposed to set up 22 more border bazaars in a joint working group meeting on trade between the two countries in 2013.
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