The recently established Inter-Ministerial Coordination Group (IMCG), tasked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with comprehensive management of India’s relations with its neighbours, on Tuesday deliberated on a host of issues, including the construction of border infrastructure that would facilitate trade with neighbours like Nepal, expanding rail connectivity with Bangladesh and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and Myanmar.

The first meeting at the secretary-level of the IMCG, set up as a high-level mechanism towards mainstreaming India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, was convened by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

“The meeting deliberated upon and took important decisions on various aspects of India’s bilateral relationship with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the areas of trade and investment, connectivity, border infrastructure, immigration, development cooperation and border security,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Issues considered at the IMCG meeting included the special needs of countries such as Bhutan and Maldives in terms of supply of essential commodities and the fisheries issue with Sri Lanka, The Indian Express said.

There was no specific reference to Pakistan, given its political transition and government changeover, but Pakistan's inclusion in the neighbourhood thrust for the first time by India has been noted by South Asian observers. 

Secretaries of ministries/departments of Home, Commerce, Finance, Fisheries, representatives from Ministries/ Departments of Defence, Railways, Economic Affairs, Consumer Affairs, Agriculture & Farmer’ Welfare, Information & Broadcasting and from Cabinet Secretariat, National Security Council Secretariat as well as other relevant agencies along with heads of Border Guarding Forces participated in the meeting.

(SAM)