June 2026
The Land Ports Authority of India eyes constructing seven to eight new international land ports in Bengal to streamline the movement of cargo and people across the Bangladesh and Nepal borders. This regional expansion is part of a larger national initiative to build 74 additional land ports across India. This infrastructure boost could significantly enhance regional trade, with the potential to unlock over ₹4.4 lakh crore in untapped trade potential.
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Tags: Bangladesh, Economic corridor, India, Land Customs Station, Nepal, Trade Facilitation, Transport
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June 2026
The Embassy of India in Kathmandu and the Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI) hosted a seminar to explore bilateral opportunities for artificial intelligence collaboration. Potential areas for cooperation include joint research initiatives, targeted training programs, domestic talent cultivation, and the development of specialized speech-to-text models designed to support underserved populations.
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Tags: Digital, India, Nepal, Trade
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June 2026
The Governments of India and Nepal held the 10th Project Steering Committee (PSC) and the 8th Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings on 11-12 June 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal, to review the implementation of ongoing cross-border railway links.
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Tags: India, Nepal, Rail, Transport
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June 2026
Bangladesh reaffirmed its commitment to fostering regional cooperation among BIMSTEC member states, as the country currently chairs the bloc. Speaking at a Dhaka reception marking BIMSTEC's 29th anniversary on 8 June 2026, Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh, said that BIMSTEC is a "unique bridge" linking South and Southeast Asia and said regional cooperation is a cornerstone of Bangladesh’s foreign policy.
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May 2026
The SASEC Road Development Project 2 has helped ease transport, with the Elenga–Jamuna Bridge stretch providing smooth, uncongested traffic flow from Elenga to the bridge's eastern roundabout. The bridge highway project is implemented by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority.
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May 2026
Construction of Bangladesh's largest modified cloverleaf interchange in Hatikumrul in Sirajganj, being built under the SASEC Road Development Project 2, is nearing completion and is expected to transform transport connectivity in northern Bangladesh.
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May 2026
Tata Power and Bhutan's Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) have expanded their clean energy partnership by adding the 404 MW Nyera Amari I & II Integrated Hydropower Project, bringing their total identified hydropower capacity to 5,033 MW.
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Tags: Bhutan, Energy, Hydropower, India
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May 2026
The signing of the $515 million financing agreement between the Government of Bhutan and the World Bank for the 1,125 MW Dorjilung Hydroelectric Power Project advances the region's clean energy generation and is set to boost renewable energy trade with roughly 80% of its output destined for India.
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Tags: Bhutan, Energy, India
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May 2026
ADB is scaling up energy and digital infrastructure across Asia and the Pacific. Regional cooperation is central to this strategy, building on existing subregional initiatives such as the SASEC program, the BIMSTEC grid interconnection planning, the ASEAN Power Grid, and the CAREC Energy Strategy 2030.
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April 2026
H.E. Karma Hamu Dorji, Bhutanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, paid a courtesy call to Bangladesh Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir on 28 April 2026 to discuss deepening bilateral ties. The meeting highlighted optimism on cooperation in renewable energy and trade.
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Tags: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Energy, Trade
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April 2026
The Governments of Bhutan and India reaffirmed their commitment to seamless cross-border trade and modernized border management at the two-day customs dialogue held in April 2026, in Munnar, Kerala, India. Discussions at the 7th Joint Group of Customs (JGC) Meeting included Coordinated Border Management, a proposed Memorandum of Understanding on pre-arrival exchange of customs data, digital customs processes, and updates on the Electronic Cargo Tracking System.
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April 2026
India Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan visited Sri Lanka on 19-20 April 2026, meeting President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Both sides committed to deepening cooperation in economy, education, health, tourism, investment, and trade, with special emphasis on energy security and port development.
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Tags: Energy, India, Sri Lanka, Tourism, Trade, Transport
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March 2026
Ms. Afroza Khanam, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister of the Government of Bangladesh, and Mr. Ghanshyam Bhandari, Nepal Ambassador to Bangladesh, discussed deepening cooperation in aviation, tourism, and trade, in their meeting on 29 March 2026. They discussed their shared commitment to explore upgrading Bangladesh’s Syedpur Airport and strategies to make airfares more affordable on the Dhaka (Bangladesh)-Kathmandu (Nepal) route.
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Tags: Bangladesh, Nepal, Transport
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March 2026
The SASEC Subgroup on Customs held a field visit to the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone in the Philippines to study integrated customs operations and economic zone management. Senior customs officials from SASEC countries conducted the visit, hosted by the Philippines Bureau of Customs, Port of Clark, to examine operational practices in an active aviation area and special economic zone.
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Tags: ADB, Customs, Economic zone, ICT, SASEC
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March 2026
The civil aviation authorities of Bhutan and Sri Lanka held a bilateral meeting to explore closer cooperation in the aviation sector. The Bhutanese delegation presented proposals to enhance international scheduled passenger operations between the two countries and discussed expanding aviation training opportunities in Sri Lanka for Bhutanese students. Sri Lanka requested Bhutan to submit a formal proposal toward establishing an Air Services Agreement between the two nations.
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Tags: Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Transport
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March 2026
The Governments of Bhutan and Bangladesh held their 10th Commerce Secretary Level Meeting on 9-10 March 2026 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The agenda included cooperation under tourism, trade facilitation, and agriculture, as well as increasing private sector collaboration and consideration of,the proposal to add products under the Preferential Trade Agreement 2020 to further enhance bilateral trade and explore the possibility of a Free Trade Agreement.
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March 2026
Transport corridors have evolved from trade routes into economic and industrial corridors that combine infrastructure investment with policy reform, institutional strengthening, and private sector development. In India, ADB’s Subprograms 1 and 2 of the Industrial Corridor Development Program policy-based loan have supported the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme. This article appears on the Development Asia website.
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Tags: India, manufacturing, Trade, Transport
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February 2026
The Government of Bangladesh's Planning Commission is finalizing a multimodal transport roadmap that reduces the country's logistics strategy from road dependency. Currently, roads handle 80% of national transport demand. The aim is to move toward a more multimodal network to reduce logistics costs, improve safety, and build regional connectivity.
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Tags: Bangladesh, Transport
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February 2026
The Government of India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of India to the World Trade Organization (WTO), showcased key achievements in Trade Facilitation Agreement compliance and policy implementation, digital customs infrastructure, and capacity building on the sidelines of the WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation meeting in February 2026.
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Tags: India, Trade Facilitation
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February 2026
Mr. Amrit Bahadur Rai, Nepal Foreign Secretary and Chairperson of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Standing Committee, underscored the importance of regional cooperation to bridge the gap between national priorities and international processes, helping ensure mutual benefits and stability within South Asia, during the 62nd meeting of the SAARC Program Committee.
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Tags: Nepal, Regional Cooperation, SAARC
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February 2026
The construction of Kokrajhar-Gelephu railway link is set to begin in the first quarter of 2027 and is expected to enhance connectivity between India and Bhutan. The project is funded by the Government of India and will be Bhutan’s first link to India's vast rail network.
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Tags: Bhutan, India, Rail, Trade, Transport
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February 2026
Lyonpo Gem Tshering, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Royal Government of Bhutan, Mr. Manohar Lal, Union Minister of Power, and Mr. Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Power, of the Government of India, held high-level ministerial talks on 3 February 2026 to review Bhutan and India's long-standing energy partnership. The discussions focused on deepening cooperation in hydropower development and cross-border transmission planning.
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Tags: Bhutan, Energy, Hydropower, India
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January 2026
The Governments of India and Nepal have signed a memorandum of understanding to exchange pre-arrival information on exported goods, aimed at facilitating trade and strengthening customs control between the two countries. The agreement was signed in New Delhi, India, on 21 January by It institutionalizes the advance sharing of export-related data between their customs administrations to support risk management, reduce clearance time, and ensure secure cross-border trade.
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Tags: India, Nepal, Trade Facilitation
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January 2026
Mr. Mohammad Abdur Rouf, Bridges Division secretary and Bangladesh Bridge Authority executive director visited Tangail and Sirajganj districts to inspect construction progress on the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Road Connection Project-2, which is upgrading the Elenga-Hatikumrul-Rangpur highway to four lanes. Mr. Rouf also visited the Jamuna Bridge, which is undergoing regular maintenance work.
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Tags: Asian Highway, Road, Road Transport, Roads, SASEC, Transport
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January 2026
The Governments of Bangladesh and Nepal held their Eighth Commerce Secretary Level Meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 13-14 January 2026, to review the progress of bilateral trade and strengthen economic cooperation. In the meeting, both countries agreed to convene a Trade Negotiating Committee within three months to expedite negotiations on the Preferential Trade Agreement.
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Tags: Bangladesh, Nepal, Trade Facilitation
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January 2026
Road work is underway to upgrade Nepal’s East-West Highway to meet Asian Highway standards. The project is funded by the Asian Development Bank and the Government of Nepal and is being undertaken as part of the SASEC partnership. The Nepal Ministry for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development is supervising construction, which has now reached 25% completion.
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Tags: ADB, Asian Highway, Nepal, Road, Road Transport, Roads, SASEC, Trade, Transport
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