14 MARCH 2016

Ø  The government is looking to harness the country’s 50,000 kilometres of sea and river fronts as waterways and mulling over innovative ways to raise around Rs. 70,000 crore to develop these stretches in the first phase. Parliament, by passing the crucial bill to declare 111 rivers across the country into National Waterways last week, has paved the way for development of these stretches as transport carriers. So far, only five of the river stretches had been declared as National Waterways. India has its unique advantage. Its 14 States are bestowed with 7,500 kilometres of coastline with 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways. In addition, 116 rivers across the country provide 35,000 kilometres of navigable stretches..

Ø  In an attempt to bring in more synergy in coordinated border management, border-guarding forces of Bangladesh and India conducted their first-ever joint exercise in the riverine borders of the Sundarbans. The exercise between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) commenced with troopers, including dog and bomb squads, from both the forces carrying out joint searches of cargo vessels on the Ichamati river. The second day of the drill called ‘Sundarbans Maithri’ on Sunday was supervised by Inspector General, South Bengal frontier, Sandeep Salunkhe, Colonel Khandekar Farid Hassan, Region Commander BGB onboard the floating border outpost (BOP) Kamakhya. Two floating BOPs of BSF — Kamakhya and Durga —along with BGB Ship Shahjalal were deployed in the waters of the Ichamati along the international border that serves as the international border between the two countries.