No. 10 March 2021 International Conference on Twenty Years of Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) 5-6 November 2020 Left to Right: Amb. Riva Ganguly Das, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), New Delhi; Dr. T C A Raghavan, Director General, Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), New Delhi and Dr. Mohan Kumar, Chairman, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi he ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) at economy and sectoral relations; people- which will allow scholars to access RIS and Indian Council of World to-people contacts and the way forward text and further collaboration. TAffairs (ICWA), New Delhi jointly towards the third decade of MGC. Dr • Promotion of Yoga and Ayurveda organised an international conference Nivedita Ray, Research Director, ICWA is another important area that can to commemorate the Twenty Years of and Dr Prabir De, Coordinator, AIC at RIS strengthen the partnership. India can Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) delivered the concluding remarks. promote the study of yoga, especially on 5-6 November 2020. Dr. T C A in Thailand by getting certificated Key Recommendations of the Raghavan, Director General, Indian teachers to Thailand or helping Thai Conference: Council of World Affairs (ICWA), New people to come to India to study yoga. • Mekong countries and India shall work Delhi and Dr. Mohan Kumar, Chairman, India shall help in the standardisation together on shared historical linkages, Research and Information System for of the practise of Yoga and Ayurveda, and protect the artefacts and preserve Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi leading to strengthen the well being the old texts and heritage sites. made the Opening Remarks. Inaugural and health security of the region. • Digital platform will facilitate Address was delivered by Amb. Riva • India and Mekong countries can work collaborations and also allow scholars Ganguly Das, Secretary (East), Ministry together for the preservation of rice to study ancient texts and scripts, of External Affairs (MEA), New Delhi. culture and to organise a rice festival artistic patterns, history of the region The two-day event had five technical to celebrate the shared cultural links. among other subjects. MGC countries sessions that focused on shared culture • MGC countries may consider may consider connecting the individual and heritage; economic relations; new establishing Mekong-Ganga Study digital libraries through open sources ...Continued on page 2 Mekong-Ganga Policy Brief March 2021 1 ...Continued from page 1 Centre to promote cultural and Kingdoms in ancient Myanmar, Indian investment, especially the functioning educational collaboration and also system of administration on Vedic of market institutions and by improving work on further collaboration among model of town planning and Buddhist the functioning and quality of domestic the museums of the MGC countries. linkages with Myanmar, ethnic and segment of value chains and the In order to start these projects, MGC linguistic affinities. quality of services inputs. countries can look at the established • A web portal should be set up to • Mekong countries shall promote the centres in existing universities and provide information on trade trends, development and establish a regional resource centres. custom tariffs and preferences, legal framework to build a new legal • India needs to extend more scholarship market opportunities and regulatory document on water protection in the on cultural aspects between India and compliances, which could be serving Mekong River. the Mekong nations. as a platform linking MSMEs of the • An exclusive website for Mekong- • MGC can have podcast and virtual Mekong region and India. Ganga Cooperation would be useful. seminars and museums where the • A regional investment forum can be • Annual Ministerial meeting of MGC general public can be invited to established that can identify the existing could be elevated to Summit level. participate. networks and complementarities and • There is a need for a Secretariat and • There is a need for increased attention facilitate investment into the region. inter-governmental arrangements to joint research focusing on connected • India and Mekong countries shall to follow up cooperation with high histories between North East India and facilitate entry of domestic companies dispersion across sub-regional and Mekong region, especially on Indian into GVCs via improving the drivers of sectors. Webinar on 20 Years of Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC), 28 May 2020 he ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) at RIS and Chaired the webinar. Mr Sabyasachi the line of credit (LoC), technical jointly with the Asian Confluence Dutta, Director of Asian Confluence, gave assistance, etc. (AC) organised a webinar titled “20 the Welcome Remarks. Dr Prabir De, • Elevate the MGC ministerial meeting T to the Summit level. Years of Mekong-Ganga Cooperation” in Professor, RIS and Head, ASEAN-India virtual mode on 28 May 2020. Panellists Centre (AIC) made the lead presentation. • Resume flights, visa and travel in a were from prominent think-tanks, and calibrated manner with MGC and Key Recommendations business chambers of Mekong region. beyond. • Early completion of the Trilateral About 60 participants attended, viewed • Bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) Highway and a further extension to the webinar discussion and took part in with Vietnam may generate new trade Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam the Q&A session. Ambassador Gautam opportunities, subject to studies and would strengthen the regional Mukhopadhyay, Senior Visiting Fellow, feasibilities. connectivity. Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New • Enhanced cultural cooperation – • Increase the bilateral and regional Delhi delivered the Special Remarks studies, exchange of artists, films, development aid in MGC through ...Continued on page 3 2 Mekong-Ganga Policy Brief March 2021 ...Continued from page 2 food festivals, cultural heritage, pharmaceutical equipment, mask, cooperate to share the traditional preservation of heritage, joint projects and health sanitizer etc. medicinal products, yoga and training between museums, Nalanda University • Lao PDR has a long relationship with programmes. Online programme for MGC, etc. India’s business community. India • For food security, India and Mekong • Continue with regulatory convergence, should invest in the agro-business countries can jointly create a food paperless trade and simplification of industry, ICT related industry, bank to use it during the crisis. trade procedures. microfinance, etc. to strengthen the • India and Mekong region are known • Initiate B2B Business Facilitation investment relationships between the for organic products in the respective through industry associations and two countries. countries. To support the farmers Chambers of Commerce (e.g. FICCI- • Need to have cooperation and growing organic crops in the region, AIBC, CII, ASSOCHAM, ICC, EEPC information sharing between the information of organic farmers and India, FIEO, etc) industry association and business their products can be given in online • Establish MGC Think-Tank Network of chamber to promote B2B relation with platform to meet global consumers cultural studies, heritage, museums, Mekong region. and producers to procure the organic etc. • Given the pandemic situation, products from the Mekong region. • India can provide capacity building India’s northeast and Myanmar’s • MGC region experiences drought programme for the customs officials, northwest can be benefited from the every year, which has a huge impact who are handling cargoes in the e-governance. Indian government on agricultural sector in the region. frontline to improve the trade facilitation should provide innovation and ITeS to India and the Mekong region can process. scale up the institutions of Myanmar to jointly initiate rainwater harvesting in • India and Mekong countries should improve the e-governance. the region to ensure water security and collaborate to support the local • India should scale up the institutions offer reserve water for consumption manufacturing unit in post-Covid-19 by combine taskforce with IITs and during the drought situation. period to create employment IIMs for initiating incubation centers • MGC countries should endorse opportunities and income generation to strengthen the university network in cultural cooperation through funding in the region. Particularly, the garment Myanmar. In addition to the government joint research and by engaging industries in Cambodia, Myanmar and to government engagement in the students through online mode, and Vietnam have suffered heavily due education sector, we can encourage bring out research on cultural linkages to pandemic and need some joint non-governmental organizations and between Ganga and Mekong rivers. initiative to strengthen the industry in private sectors to promote educational • MGC countries can also support the Mekong region. sector in the Mekong region. the virtual museum to offer a virtual • MGC should learn from other Mekong • India and Mekong region should jointly experience for young students in the sub-regional cooperation initiatives organize the workshop, conference digital world. such as actionable projects, different etc., to share the cultural and economic • MGC countries should collaborate to mechanism and regularity of their achievements and challenges. share the experience to prevent the programmes, etc., to scale up • India and Mekong countries may build Covid-19 and engage in research and and streamline the