The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has proposed forming two business task forces focused on infrastructure investment and financing, and technology, to strengthen trade and investment ties between Bangladesh and India.

A CII business delegation led by Director General Chandrajit Banerjee held a meeting with the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) on Tuesday. The proposals were disclosed at a joint press briefing at the FBCCI office in Motijheel.

Banerjee said the meeting discussed ways to expand bilateral trade and explore opportunities for Bangladeshi products in different Indian states. Strengthening business-to-business (B2B) engagement with Bangladesh’s private sector was also a key objective of the delegation’s visit.

Vinayak Chatterjee, founder and managing trustee of Infravision Foundation and a member of the delegation, said the first proposal is to establish a task force on infrastructure investment and financing. The second is to increase B2B partnerships in emerging technology-driven sectors.

The sectors identified as having strong potential include nuclear power, semiconductors, hydrogen and ammonia, renewable energy and batteries, energy storage, high-speed rail, data centres, artificial intelligence, and solar cell and module manufacturing.

FBCCI Administrator Md Fazlul Hoque said the proposals could create new opportunities to expand investment and trade between the two countries. He added that the two sides also held positive discussions on removing existing non-tariff barriers to bilateral trade.

Hoque said businesses from both countries should focus on advancing trade and investment while keeping political issues aside. He noted that Bangladesh has a trade deficit of nearly $10 billion with India and called for joint efforts by businesses and entrepreneurs to reduce the gap.

Former FBCCI president and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo said the government is making efforts to expand bilateral trade and investment in new sectors. He stressed the importance of involving businesses and stakeholders in identifying and resolving trade barriers.

The CII delegation is visiting Bangladesh for two days. The delegation includes senior executives from Godrej Industries, Arvind Limited, Mahindra Group, LMW Global, Godrej Consumer Products, Larsen & Toubro, Forbes Marshall, Numaligarh Refinery, Beximco IOC Petroleum and Apollo Hospitals, among others.