In a significant move to enhance economic ties between Bangladesh and India, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Mission on Infrastructure, Trade and Investment Chairman Vinayak Chatterjee has proposed the formation of two high-level Business-to-Business (B2B) taskforces. These taskforces aim to deepen cooperation in infrastructure development and emerging technologies, fostering mutual learning and investment opportunities.
Speaking at a press conference following a meeting with the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Chatterjee outlined the proposed taskforces as part of a forward-looking roadmap to strengthen bilateral business and investment ties. The first taskforce will focus on infrastructure and private capital, aiming to facilitate mutual learning on mobilizing domestic and international private investment for infrastructure development.
Chatterjee highlighted that private investment in India’s infrastructure sector now accounts for around Tk 5 lakh crore annually, or about 20 percent of the country’s total infrastructure spending of Tk 25 lakh crore. He suggested that India’s experience with Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) since the early 1990s could provide useful lessons for Bangladesh in attracting domestic corporate savings, foreign direct investment (FDI), and sovereign wealth funds to infrastructure projects.
At the same time, Bangladesh has developed major infrastructure projects, including bridges, railways, gas plants, and metro rail systems, from which India could also draw lessons. The proposed taskforce would facilitate reciprocal meetings between business representatives in Dhaka and locations along the India-Bangladesh border to identify opportunities for cooperation and investment.
The second taskforce, focusing on “sunrise sectors,” would explore new technology-driven areas beyond traditional industries such as textiles, cement, and fertilizers. Chatterjee identified nuclear power, semiconductors, green hydrogen and ammonia, green energy and battery storage, high-speed rail, data centers, artificial intelligence (AI), and solar cell and module manufacturing as key areas for cooperation. He also suggested including biotechnology.
Chatterjee noted that India is currently investing around Tk 1.5 lakh crore in the semiconductor sector, creating potential scope for knowledge sharing and joint initiatives. The proposed taskforce would enable businesses and experts from both countries to share research and development (R&D) progress, address technological challenges, and jointly identify sources of advanced technologies from around the world.
Stressing that both initiatives would remain strictly B2B, Chatterjee aimed to maintain positive economic engagement irrespective of political developments. “The first taskforce is about attracting domestic and international private capital for building the nation, while the second is about managing technological complexity,” he said. He expressed optimism that the two neighboring countries could move ahead with a positive and forward-looking approach to expand business, investment, and technological cooperation.
