12 IT/Hi-Tech Parks are coming up in Bangladesh under India’s concessional Line of Credit
The recent laying of the foundation stone of a Knowledge Park at Chattogram is yet another demonstration of the growing robustness of the India-Bangladesh bilateral relationship which now goes much beyond trade and connectivity. 

The Knowledge Park is part of the project for establishment of IT/Hi-Tech Parks in 12 districts of Bangladesh under Government of India’s concessional Line of Credit worth nearly US$ 250 million.

India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma and Bangladesh's Minister of State for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak jointly laid the foundation stone of the Knowledge Park at Chattogram on August 27, 2023.

Each such park is expected to generate direct employment for 3,000 people and train over 1,000 people every year. The direct and indirect benefits from the parks will, therefore, be transformative. It is also notable that this project will involve construction of Green Buildings, which are energy efficient and environmentally friendly, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka pointed out. 

High Commissioner Verma highlighted the project’s importance in India-Bangladesh cooperation in the ICT sector, and expressed the hope that it will propel the economic and technological partnership between the two countries to newer heights. The project will also advance the goal of Digital Bangladesh and the vision to transform from Digital to Smart Bangladesh by 2041, he said. Verma went on to express confidence that these IT parks will go a long way in promoting the IT industry and IT-enabled services in Bangladesh.
According to High Commissioner Verma, going beyond trade and transport connectivity and energy connectivity, digital connectivity is a rapidly emerging dimension of India-Bangladesh partnership.

While Bangladesh is India’s top-most development partner and its largest trade partner in the region, there are several initiatives which have added a new dimension to the multi-faceted India-Bangladesh relationship.

INDIA-BANGLADESH STARTUP BRIDGE

Earlier this year, India and Bangladesh launched the 'India-Bangladesh Startup Bridge' to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and technology.

The portal was launched by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on July 29, 2023 in the presence of 10 Indian Startups visiting Bangladesh to take part in the Bangladesh Startup Summit in Dhaka.

According to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, the Startup Bridge will enable seamless exchange of knowledge, technology and best practices between the startup ecosystems of India and Bangladesh. It will also serve as a one-stop platform for accessing information for entrepreneurs and other stakeholders from both countries.

The India-Bangladesh digital startup bridge will help by making available comprehensive guides and toolkits to assist startups to evaluate expansion opportunities and technology, the High Commission added.

CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME FOR CIVIL SERVANTS 

India also organises capacity building programmes for civil servants from many countries, including Bangladesh. 

The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), which has its campus in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, has signed an MoU with the Government of Bangladesh to enhance the skills and capabilities of an additional 1,800 civil servants by 2025. As part of the agreement, in the last two years, NCGG has already imparted training to over 500 officers from Bangladesh.

In partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), NCGG has imparted training to civil servants of 15 countries - Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Seychelles, Gambia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal Bhutan, Myanmar and Cambodia.

INDIA TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION 

 India Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) is a flagship programme of the Government of India for upgradation of skills and human resource development. It was established in 1964 to offer the benefit of India’s development experience and appropriate technologies to developing countries like Bangladesh. 

The training programme provides an opportunity to share the best Indian practices with the brightest minds in Bangladesh. At the same time, India has been an equal beneficiary, learning from the developmental experiences of Bangladesh which is making phenomenal strides both in economic and social development.

Nearly 5,000 young Bangladeshi professionals have undergone these specialized short and medium term courses in India under the ITEC programme since 2007.

Every year, more than 10,000 training slots are offered to ITEC partner countries for training courses in various areas like Accounts, Audit, Good Governance Practices, Management, SME, Rural Development, Public Health, Parliamentary Affairs, Judiciary, Election Management, IT, Data Analytics, Remote Sensing, and Renewable Energy in premier Indian Institutes.

With several new initiatives likely to be announced over the next several months, India-Bangladesh bilateral ties are set to become even more strong.