Poet & Journalist
In response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India has announced the immediate closure of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, located on the India-Pakistan border in Punjab’s Amritsar district. The decision was reportedly taken during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23.
Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government has taken a series of tough measures, one of the most significant being the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan. The decision was reportedly made during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Following the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri issued a statement announcing the immediate suspension of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan. He further stated that the suspension would remain in effect until Pakistan credibly ceases its support for cross-border terrorism.
West Bengal is in turmoil again. No one could have imagined such an undesirable situation. The Supreme Court has cancelled the entire panel for recruitment in the 2016 SSC (School Service Commission).
Due to political uncertainties and various other reasons, railway connectivity projects between India and Myanmar, as well as India and Bangladesh, have been delayed. As a result, India is now focusing on establishing a new railway link with another neighboring country, Bhutan. This proposed railway project, estimated to cost ₹3,500 crore, will cover a distance of 69 kilometers and connect Kokrajhar in Assam with Gelephu in Bhutan.
For years, traders in West Bengal have relied on exporting lac (gala) to Bangladesh, but recent reductions in exports are raising concerns. Lac is a key industry in Purulia district, West Bengal, where over 30 factories process raw lac into lac sticks. However, there has been a significant drop in demand from Bangladesh. While the domestic market in India remains stable, the slowdown in exports to Bangladesh is causing anxiety among traders in both countries, who are now facing the impact of reduced business.
A meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission between India and Bangladesh is going to be held in March. This year, it is learnt that this meeting will be held in Kolkata. It is to be noted that the Joint River Commission was formed by the two neighboring countries in 1972. Its main objective was to discuss issues like irrigation, flood, dams and cyclone control and other river-related issues, as well as water resource sharing at a technical level. It was formed as part of the India-Bangladesh Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace in March 1972.