Kabir Humayun: The World Bank termed the border haats set up by Bangladesh and India as a commendable example of South Asian regional cooperation.
A World Bank team conducted surveys for its study on the potential of South Asian trade and connectivity has developed livelihoods in both sides, reports The Daily Star.
It says the border haats “confirm significant increase in incomes of vendors in both Bangladesh and India and growth in livelihoods opportunities for women and marginalised workers”.
“For example, Indian labourers at the (border) haats earn one-third or more of their average monthly income from just four days of working at haats,” said the World Bank report titled “A Glass Half Full: The Promise of Regional Trade in South Asia.” The report was made public on Tuesday.
It said “focus group discussions with stakeholders and interviews with Border Security Force personnel, conducted specifically for this study, reveal that the haats have also led to a reduction in informal and illegal trading, and generated a peace dividend.”
The border haat initiative by the governments of Bangladesh and India “aimed at recapturing the once-thriving economic and cultural relationships is now changing cross-border relations and reducing incentives for smuggling,” the World Bank report concluded.
The Bank said the border haats underscore the importance of people-to-people interactions through initiatives.
“Today, Indians and Sri Lankans enjoy direct connections from Colombo to 14 Indian cities, with a total of about 147 flights per week. Since 2005, India has been the largest source of for¬eign tourists in Sri Lanka,” the World Bank report said.
Our time is a news portal