A Parliamentary panel has asked the government to work with neighbouring countries and speak in one voice against nations in the immediate neighbourhood that are engaged in spreading instability and tension in India.
In a report on "India's Neighbourhood First Policy", the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs said India has been facing threats and continuous tension, instability and heightened possibility of terrorist and militant attacks from its immediate neighbourhood for more than three decades.
"The committee, therefore, desire that India should work towards more closer cooperation amongst the member States in the region to create an environment where all neighbouring countries speak in one voice against the countries engaged in such activities and take proactive steps to counter the menace of terrorism and help to achieve the goal of lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the region," the committee said in its report tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The panel, chaired by BJP leader P P Chaudhary, said it fully endorses the changed approach of the government to quell the threats posed by cross-border terrorism in a pre-emptive manner as well as to maintain a tough stand that bilateral relations with India's neighbours can only be held in an atmosphere free from terror, hostility and violence.
The panel acknowledged the government's efforts in implementing the Neighbourhood First policy but asserted that "more needs to be done, especially (for) addressing the huge deficiency in our border infrastructure".
The committee said it found deficiencies related to the way India's border districts were developed compared to those across the border.
"As our border areas are pivotal in unlocking the potential of our engagements with our neighbours, the need to stabilise and develop the border regions has become critical," the panel observed.
"So, for more effective engagement with our immediate neighbours, connectivity infrastructure like cross-border roads, railways, inland waterways and ports, energy, telecommunication and digital links needs to be enhanced," the committee said.
It recommended that the Ministry of External Affairs take up with various central ministries, departments and agencies concerned the need for regional infrastructure development in the border areas through increased allocation or investment, pooling of resources and, above all, convergence of everybody's interest and focus.
The committee said it also desires that the feasibility of setting up a regional development fund for connectivity infrastructure under regional frameworks like the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) be explored.
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