To Counter Dragon’s Inroads, India Steadfast On Completing Key Projects In Myanmar

The current security situation in Myanmar has slowed down all projects undertaken by Indian government and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport is the most affected.

New Delhi: Aware of the Chinese inroads, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed to a parliamentary committee that all Indian projects in Myanmar will be completed, albeit at a slow speed. According to the ministry, the current political turmoil and the security situation have negatively impacted the pace of progress of key Indian projects underway in Myanmar.

The most affected one is the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport which has achieved physical progress of only 10 per cent.

India’s Approach to Development Cooperation

Development cooperation is a key instrument in India’s foreign policy. The scope and reach of development cooperation have seen a considerable expansion in the past few years that includes grant assistance, Lines of Credit (LoC), technical consultancy, disaster relief, humanitarian aid, educational scholarships and a range of capacity-building programmes including short-term civilian and military training courses which have been growing consistently encompassing the geographical reach and sectoral coverage. Developmental cooperation with the partner countries is mainly being executed through instruments like grant assistance, line of credit (LoC) and concessional financing schemes.

Aid to Myanmar

An allocation of Rs 400 crore was made under this head during budget estimate (BE) 2023-24. However, it was reduced to Rs 370 and Rs 250 crore at the revised estimate (RE) 2023-24 and BE 2024-25, respectively, a drop of 37.5 per cent.

"The ensuing political turmoil and security situation have negatively impacted the pace of progress of key projects in Myanmar. However, the project works are not paused and are ongoing. With elections announced in 2025, and support being obtained from both the Government of Myanmar (GoM) and the resistance forces, project work will continue, albeit at a slower pace,” MEA said.

Impact on Ongoing Projects

Regarding the impact of ongoing political turmoil on India's developmental projects in Myanmar, the ministry said the current political turmoil has adversely impacted the developmental projects in Myanmar. "Our Mission is working in close coordination with all stakeholders including the Government of Myanmar and implementing agencies as well as local groups, to ensure steady progress in the implementation of the projects All stakeholders are currently engaged to pursue execution of ongoing projects despite security challenges," it said.

Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport

The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport (KMMTT) is a strategic project to connect the eastern ports of India with Myanmar by developing a port at Sittwe on the western coast of Myanmar and linking it with the Kaladan River and road to the Mizoram. The KMMTT has two components -- waterways and roadways.

Although the fully operational Sittwe Port was inaugurated jointly by the governments of both nations on May 9, 2023, the road component of KMMTT faces hurdles. The current physical progress of the component is 10 per cent with work being affected due to the present security scenario in Myanmar.

Trilateral Highway Road Connectivity Project

India has undertaken two projects in Myanmar under the Trilateral Highway that starts from Moreh in India to Mae Sot in Thailand through Myanmar (1,360 km) at the request of Myanmar.

Kalewa-Yagyi Road Section

Theconstruction work in the project has been underway since May 2018 by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the project management consultant (PMC). The current progress is 54 per cent with the 55-km stretch in the first phase to be handed over to Myanmar after issuance of provisional completion certificate.

India-Myanmar Centre for Enhancement of IT Skills

India has been assisting Myanmar in establishing and running the India-Myanmar Centre for Enhancement of IT Skills (IMCEITS) in Yangon since 2008. The project has gone through four phases. IMCEITS was set up with India's financial assistance by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in 2008. Myanmar has requested to extend the project to the next phase, V, and the proposal rests with MEA.