Essay on India and her Neighbouring Countries for Class 10, 12, Mains Exam (UPSC, PSC, SSC)
India is located in the Asian continent and it is the seventh-largest country in the world. It is the home to people of diverse cultures, traditions, languages and religion. It has gained paramount importance for the contributions it has made to the world. India promotes living in unity and so it has maintained peaceful relations with its neighbouring countries. India is the second most populous country in the world and has a democratic form of government. It has a developing mixed economy and is considered the world’s sixth largest economy due the purchasing power parity and nominal GDP. India shares borders with the supreme countries Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, China, Srilanka and Myanmar.
India’s relation with her neighbour’s:
India is one of the founding members of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) with an aim to promote cooperation, progress and development of the neighbouring countries. It’s relation with her neighbouring countries are briefly stated below:
India’s relation with Pakistan:
Pakistan never tried to maintain convivial relations with India. Whereas India made severe efforts to maintain jovial relations with it. Pakistan has been always been raising the issue to capture Kashmir for which it is engaging in bitter fights with India. Boththe countries maintain trade relations on food and pharmaceutical grounds.They are engaged with each other on grounds,such as, world cup cricket match, movie promotions, clothing, music, food and religion.
India’s relation with Bhutan:
India and Bhutan share a bilateral relationship, marked by understanding, cooperation, trust and goodwill. Indian government supports the socio- economic development of Bhutan. The hydro-power cooperation benefits both the countries economically. Bhutan is India’s largest trading partner. India exports cement, dolomite, ferro-silicon, calcium carbide, silicon carbide, timber and cardamom. India fulfils the educational aspirations of many Bhutanese students by accommodating them in universities and providing scholarships.
India’s relation with Myanmar:
Myanmar shares a border with north-eastern India. India established the Sittwe port in Myanmar to obstruct China’s geostrategic impressionsin Rakhine. Indian companies such as Essar, ONGC Videsh Ltd., GAIL have invested in the energy sectors of Myanmar. Indian Myanmar Bilateral Army Exercise aims at promoting relations with the armies. Both the countries maintain cultural relations in terms of ancient histories of colonialism and Buddhist heritage. India is taking initiatives to restore the Ananda temple in Bagan and few of the Pagodas.
India’s relation with Nepal:
India and Nepal enjoygreat bilateral relations. They are politically united due to frequent visits of the leaders of the two countries. India assists the Nepal Army by providing sufficient training and sending equipment. Personnel from Nepal Army attend training courses in various Indian army institutions. Small and large rivers flow from Nepal to India and form a quintessential part of the river Ganges basin. India and Nepal signed the Power Exchange Agreement for meeting the energy requirements on the borders of the two countries. Nepal imports motor vehicles, petroleum products, electrical equipment, agricultural equipment, cement, coal from India. India provides scholarships to Nepalese students for pursuing higher education.
India’s relation with Bangladesh:
India’s largest trading partner is Bangladesh in the South Asian region. India has granted duty free access to Bangladeshi products. In order to encourage trade New Delhi has also reduced the non-tariff barriers. Kolkata is connected to Bangladesh by a bus service route that was launched in 1999. Maitri Express was launched by the two countries to initiate transportation. India provided assistance to Bangladesh for setting up orphanages, educational institutions and cultural centres. The visa process of the Bangladeshi tourists was also simplified by the Indian government.
India’s relation with Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka and India maintains cordial relationships since the independence. Both of them enjoy a robust commercial relationship. India invested for Sri Lanka in areas of telecommunication,metal industries, real estate, banking, food processing, hospitality and tourism. Dabur, Ashok Leyland, Bharti airtel, LIC, Taj Hotels, Tata companies are Indian businesses organisations present in Sri Lanka.The Indian cultural organization in Colombo promotes Indian culture by offering classes in Indian dance, music and yoga.
India’s relation with Afghanistan:
Indi and Afghanistan share a strong bond based on historical and cultural links. The Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two countries provides help to reform and rebuild Afghanistan’s infrastructure. In order to encourage Afghanistan’s exports, India provides access them to duty free trade. Phoenix, APTECH, KEC, Spice Jet, Air India GSA are some of the renowned Indian companies doing business in Afghanistan. Indian film music and songs arealso influenced by Afghani music.
India’s relationship with China:
India and China do not share a cordial relation although India wanted to solve the boundary issues.China is India’s largest trading partner so it has tried to improve the relation to some extent. But China’s economic interests have always collided with that of India.
Conclusion:
India is a vast country with a mosaic of cultures. It has earned the position of respect in South East Asia. India has maintained good relations with all its neighbours due to its progressive mindset. India’s foreign policy involves maintaining cooperation, freedom and peace with all the neighbouring countries. Ignoring the conflicts of the pasts, Indian political leaders always try to cooperate with the neighbouring countries.
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