Indian Railway links to soon connect India with Nepal and Bangladesh

While addressing a leading institute, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on March 9 said that India will soon be connected with Nepal by two railway links and six rail networks will be initiated for connectivity with Bangladesh.

Shringla said the railway links between countries are causing a "rapid shrinking of South Asia's geography" and that the neighbourhood comes first and foremost for India amongst all its foreign policy priorities.

Shringla extensively delved into the importance of connectivity for the expansion of India's overall engagement with the countries in the region. "Connectivity within parts of our neighbourhood by road, by water, by rail and by air, and often by multimodal transport, has steadily improved," he said.

At present, several rail links between India and Bangladesh are operational. "Travel between India and three of its neighbours: Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives does not require visas. Our diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka and Yangon report an increasing trend in the number of visas being issued," Shringla said.

He said the second area of focus has been the energy sector

The foreign secretary said the countries in the neighbourhood are of special significance to India. 

Shringla noted that the neighbouring countries have direct relevance to India's states bordering these countries, adding that India realizes that its prosperity and growth are linked to that of its neighbours.

Shringla said India's ties with the neighbouring countries have direct relevance to the states bordering these countries.