India played an important role in the firth of Bangladesh as an independent nation in 1971. The foundation of deep and close India-Bangladesh relations was laid down by the three agreements signed by them during the visit of Indian Prime Minister to Dhaka in March 1972.

• The first was the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation which affirmed the principles of Panchsheel as the guiding principle between the two.
• The second was the trade and commerce agreement which among other things provided for the freedom of trade to the people living areas up to 16 km from the boundary.
• The third was the agreement on the cultural cooperation between the two countries.

Also, India promised to provide an assistance of Rs. 25 crores for the reconstruction of Bangladesh. In 1974, both agreed to demarcate their boundary as India handed over two small enclaves – Dahagram and Angorpota to Bangladesh and, in return got possession of the area of Berubari. This exchange of territory was the need for administrative and transportation convenience. It should be noted that there are still small enclaves on the boundary, which are to be demarketed and exchanged for the sake of convenience of both. In 2011, both countries have agreed to start this process again.

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7 Main Areas of Concern

1. Ganga Water Agreement

The distribution of Ganga water has been the main consent between the two countries. The problem arose in 1975 when India decided to construct Farakka dan on river Ganga to divert its water to river Hoogly to improve the navigability of Calcutta harbour. Bangladesh objected to Indian project on the ground of not getting due share in the water of Ganga. The problem of distribution of Ganga water was resolved by two agreements signed in 1977 and 1996.

The first agreement was known as Farakka Agreement was concluded in 1977. Under the Agreement, India will get 40000 cusecs of water while Bangladesh would get 34000 cusecs of Ganga Water. In the lean season, the share of India would be reduced to 28000 cusecs. Since Bangladesh violated some conditions of this agreement, it came to be suspended in 1982. However, both parties continued with the ad-hoc arrangement till 1996, when new Ganga water agreement signed between the two countries.
The 1996 agreement makes a realistic assessment of an availability of water in Ganga. The main provisions of the agreement are –

1. If the availability of water in Ganga is less than 70000 cusec of water, both countries will share an equal amount of water.
2. If the availability of water between 70000 and 75000 cusec Bangladesh’ share would be 35000 and India would get the rest of the water.
3. If the availability of water is more than 75000 cusec, India would get 40000 cusecs of water and rest of water will go to Bangladesh.

The Ganga water agreement shall be in force for the period fo 30 years. It is one of the major achievements in resolving bilateral issues though mutual consultation, for the  better India-Bangladesh relations. Both countries have decided to continue negotiation to develop an understanding with respect to use of water in other rivers.

2. Chakma Refugees

Chakma is the Buddhists living in Chittagong hill tract of Bangladesh. In order to avoid discrimination and prosecution in Bangladesh, they have been coming to the Indian State of Tripura. India has requested Bangladesh to take back these refugees, but the response has not been encouraging. Finally, two countries sign and agreement in 1997, by which Bangladesh has agreed to take back all 50000 Chakma refugees. By now all Chakma refugees have been taken back by Bangladesh.

3. Barbed Wire Fencing in the Border

India and Bangladesh share a border of 3200 km, which is not properly guarded on all places. In order to check the infiltration of illegal immigrants, India decided to fix barbed wire fencing along the entire border, which was objected to by Bangladesh. However, India continued with fencing, which is now complete.

Must Read: Bangladesh: Background

4. Teen Bigha Corridor

Teen Bigha is a 178 meter long and 85-meter wide corridor along the Indo-Bangladesh border. Bangladesh demanded it because it facilitates the movement between two areas of Bangladesh lying on both sides of this corridor. India decided to hand over this corridor to Bangladesh in 1992 on the basis of the perpetual lease, but India will retain sovereignty over this corridor and Indian citizen will have freedom of movement in this corridor. The transfer of this corridor fulfils the longstanding demand of Bangladesh.

5. Sanctuary of India Ultra Elements

Some ultra elements and members of outlawed organizations active in North-East parts of India have found safe sanctuary in Bangladesh. India has been insisting of handing over such elements due to security reasons. But successive Bangladeshi governments have not obliged India. However, when Awami League came to power, India raised this issue. Consequently, the present government handed over in 2009 some of the top ULFA activists, who found safe sanctuary in Bangladesh. This has helped in the improvement of India-Bangladesh relations.

6. Development Partnership

Bangladesh is one of the four Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of South Asia. Besides extending all benefits and concessions given by India to all LDCx, India has been a dominant partner in the development of Bangladesh. Both started Dhaka-Kolkata rail service named as “Maitri Express” in 2008 after a gap of 43 years.

7. Recent High-Level Visits

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited India in January 2010 and the two countries signed five agreement including cooperation on drug trafficking and criminal matters. ULFA terrorists were handed over to India subsequent to this agreement. Indian PM Manmohan Singh visited Bangladesh in September 2011 and both countries signed a framework agreement on development cooperation and another agreement on the exchange of enclaves and demarcation of remaining patch of the boundary.

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A thunderstorm is a storm with lightning and thunder. It’s produced by a cumulonimbus cloud, usually producing gusty winds, heavy rain and sometimes hail. The basic ingredients used to make a thunderstorm are a moisture, unstable air, and lift. Moisture needs to form clouds and rain. Heated air expands rises and forms clouds.

Thunderstorms can occur year-round and at all hours. But they are most likely to happen in the spring and summer months and during the afternoon and evening hours. It is estimated that there are around 1,800 thunderstorms that occur across our planet every day.

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Lightning

Lightning is a bright flash of electricity produced by a thunderstorm. All thunderstorms produce lightning and are very dangerous. Lightning kills and injures more people each year than hurricanes or tornadoes; between 75 to 100 people.

What causes lightning?

Lightning is an electric current. Within a thunder cloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. The positive charges or protons form at the top of the cloud and the negative charges or electrons form at the bottom of the cloud.

Since opposites attract, that causes a positive charge to build up on the ground beneath the cloud. The grounds electrical charge concentrates around anything that sticks up, such as mountains, people, or single trees. The charge coming up from these points eventually connects with a charge reaching down from the clouds and – zap – lightning strikes!

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What causes thunder?

Thunder is caused by lightning. When a lightning bolt travels from the cloud to the ground it actually opens up a little hole in the air, called a channel. Once then the light is gone the air collapses back in and creates a sound wave that we hear as thunder. The reason we see lightning before we hear thunder is because light travels faster than sound!

Also Read: Why is lightning accompanied by thunder ?

Hail

Hail is created when small water droplets are caught in the updraft of a thunderstorm. These water droplets are lifted higher and higher into the sky until they freeze into ice. Once they become heavy, they will start to fall. If the smaller hailstones get caught in the updraft again, they will get more water on them and get lifted higher in the sky and get bigger. Once they get lifted again, they freeze and fall. This happens over and over again until the hailstone is too heavy and then falls to the ground.

If Lightning is nearby

If you see dark clouds, then lightning could be present, but the best thing you can do is to listen for thunder. If you hear thunder, then you need to go indoors or get in a car. Don’t be outside, where lightning could strike! If your hair stands on end or your skin starts to tingle, lightning may be about to strike. Get down on your hands and knees and keep your head tucked in. Do not lay flat, because it can give lightning a better chance of strike you.

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The North East of India is made up of seven separate states and is the most tribal region of India. Northeast India is the eastern-most region of India connected to East India via a narrow corridor squeezed between Nepal and Bangladesh.

The North East of India comprises the contiguous Seven Sister States—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura—and the Himalayan state of Sikkim.

These states cover about 7 percent of India’s total area. The northeastern states, having 3.8% of India’s total population, are allotted 25 out of a total of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha This is 4.6% of the total number of seats.

All the seven states are members of the North East Council, organized on 1st August 1972 and within the Jurisdiction of Guwahati High Court.

Sikkim joined the Indian union through a referendum in 1975 and was recognized as a part of North-East states in the 1990s. Northeast India’s population size is roughly equal to the state of Odisha.

The states are officially recognized in the North Eastern Council (NEC), constituted in 1971 as the acting agency for the development of the eight states. The North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd was incorporated on 9 August 1995 and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region was set up in September 2001.

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North East India is known for its unique culture, handicrafts, martial arts, and scenic beauty. Problems include insurgency, unemployment, and lack of infrastructure. Since the beginning of the economic liberalization in the 1990s, studies have shown that this region is lagging behind the others in terms of development.

A place renowned for its magical beauty and bewildering diversity, North East India is the home of more than 166 separate tribes speaking a wide range of languages. Some groups have migrated over the centuries from places as far as South East Asia; they retain their cultural traditions and values but are beginning to adapt to contemporary lifestyles. Its jungles are dense, its rivers powerful and rain and thunderstorms sweep across the hills, valleys, and plains during the annual monsoons.

Must Read: Water Resources of India

Each state is a traveler’s paradise, with picturesque hills and green meadows which shelters thousands of species of flora and fauna. In addition, the states provide scope for angling, boating, rafting, trekking, and hiking. Besides, there are a number of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks where rare animals, birds, and plants which will surely provide the fascinating insight to the visitors.

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