Policy UpdateDolly Kaushik This paper examines the Suvidha portal through the lens of collaborative governance and networked public administration. Traditional models of border management have historically relied on hierarchical control, separating security imperatives from commercial facilitation across rigid bureaucratic silos.…
On 6th June, 1997, BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand) was created as a regional organization via the Bangkok Declaration (Shetty, 2026). It advanced into what today is known as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) when Myanmar was admitted in December 1997, and Bhutan and Nepal in February 2004 (Shetty, 2026). BIMSTEC is a regional organization formed by seven member states - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Through this organization, all these countries that are located in the waters and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal represent their lineal unity in the region.
The Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) Initiative was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s working visit to Washington, D.C., on 13 February 2025 during the second term of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed the India–US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, emphasising mutual trust, shared interests, technological cooperation, and closer ties between the two countries.
The Ganga water dispute between India and Bangladesh is rooted in the river’s transboundary character and the competing dry-season water needs of both countries. The dispute intensified after India commissioned the Farakka Barrage in May 1975 to divert Ganga water into the Bhagirathi-Hooghly system, primarily to improve the navigability and functioning of Kolkata Port (Ministry of Jal Shakti, 2023). The diversion of lean-season flows became a major concern in Bangladesh, where downstream water availability has implications for irrigation, navigation, ecosystems, and water-dependent livelihoods.
The proliferation of digital technologies underscores the importance of cybersecurity, critical technologies, and supply chain resilience to Australia's and India's national security, economic growth, and innovation capacity. Advancements in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, and digital infrastructure present significant opportunities, yet concurrently introduce risks, including cyber threats, technological disruptions, and supply chain vulnerabilities.
A deep-rooted Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has replaced the old marine commercial link between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit in 2015—the first by an Indian premier in 34 years—diplomatic relations, which were initially established in 1972, gained fresh impetus. This visit changed the emphasis from a buyer-seller energy dynamic to a multifaceted combination of infrastructure, security, and high technology.
India's security environment has grown more complex, with threats now surfacing across land, maritime, air, cyber and space domains at the same time. This has raised the importance of jointness and integration among the Army, Navy and Air Force. The three Services have traditionally run largely separate operational structures, coordinating through higher-level mechanisms rather than a unified command.