The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of West Bengal, India, are undertaking a study for the development of economic corridors across the nodes of Andal-Panagarh, Kharagapur-Goaltore-Salboni and growth centers including Siliguri, Dankuni, and Kalyani with urban-industrial logistics-skills-energy-social sector convergence.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) submitted a feasibility study on the North East Economic Corridor. Features of the report include emphasis on development of transport, urban, and energy infrastructures, as enablers for equitable economic development for India's northeastern region.

Mr. G Kishan Reddy, Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Development of North Eastern Region of the Government of India, lauded the Asian Development Bank for the excellent study carried out on the planned economic corridor in India’s northeastern region. He stated that the ministry will support the implementation of the ambitious projects for the economic corridor.

ADB and the Government of India signed a loan agreement for the Industrial Corridor Development Program (Subprogram 1). Under the Program, ADB will lend $250 million (about Rs 1,872 crore) support to India. Mr. Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Finance, signed on behalf of the Government of India, and Mr. Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB India Resident Mission, signed on behalf of ADB.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved the Industrial Corridor Development Program (Subprogram 1) loan support for India worth $250 million with a $1 million “Knowledge Services for Industrial Corridor Development Program” technical assistance support.

The Asian Development Bank and the Government of India signed the Tamil Nadu Industrial Connectivity Project on 16 June 2021. Under the agreement, ADB will finance a $484 million loan to improve transport connectivity and facilitate industrial development in the Chennai–Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor.

The National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust has approved the inclusion of the Odisha Economic Corridor under the National Industrial Corridor Development Program. It will become part of the East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC), India’s first coastal economic corridor.

Good connectivity reduces the cost of doing business and increases the competitive strengths of trading partners. In this commentary, Dr. Mustafizur Rahman, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue, highlights how a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement and an effective Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal Motor Vehicle Agreement would promote South Asian integration and step up Asia-wide cooperation.

The Asian Development Bank and the Government of India have signed a $375 million agreement to develop the 800-kilometer Visakhapatnam (Vizag)-Chennai Industrial Corridor. The agreement includes the first tranche of $245 million, which will develop high-quality infrastructure in Visakhapatnam and Yerpedu-Srikalahasti, a $125 million policy-based loan, and a $5 million grant to build climate change resilient infrastructure.

The National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics (NACEN) in Faridabad, India organized a capacity building program for Bangladesh Customs. Topics included modern clearance processes, Customs valuation, post-clearance audit, use of risk management systems, and the role of Customs in economic corridors.

The Ganges flows through the middle of Bihar, India, physically dividing it into north and south. Enhanced connectivity can improve lives and livelihoods, especially if the infrastructure is climate-sensitive. Ms. Saleha Waseem, Operations Communications Specialist at the Asian Development Bank’s South Asia Regional Department, shows how improving transport links would make a huge difference to millions of people.

India is set to join the Transports Internationaux Routiers (TIR), or International Road Transport Convention in its bid to establish seamless trade connectivity with Southeast Asia and Eurasian countries. Through the TIR Convention, India could access Eurasia via the International North-South Transport Corridor. TIR would also give India an advantage in trade with fellow signatories of the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement.

The State Government of Odisha will prepare a conceptual development plan for the first phase of the East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) by March 2017. Odisha has been included in the ECEC following discussions between officials of the Government of India and the Asian Development Bank.

The $631 million loan and grant support from the Asian Development Bank provides a huge boost to the 800-kilometer Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) section of the 2500-km East Coast Economic Corridor. Approved in September 2016, the VCIC Development Program will help develop India’s first coastal industrial corridor and create seamless trade links between South and Southeast Asia.

The six member countries of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Program have launched the SASEC Operational Plan for 2016-2025. The plan expands the program’s focus beyond intraregional cooperation to deepening linkages with Southeast and East Asia, and widens the scope of transport, trade facilitation, and energy cooperation to include economic corridor development as a priority initiative. The plan also lists more than 200 potential regional projects for South Asia.

ADB has approved a multitranche financing facility and grant of $500 million for the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor Development Program to develop India’s first coastal industrial corridor, with the Government of India also contributing $215 million in funding. The Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor is a key section of India’s planned East Coast Economic Corridor. 

The Government of India has proposed formation of a National Industrial Corridor Development Authority to facilitate integrated development of industrial corridors across the country. Two corridors, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor, are currently under different stages of development.

The economic corridor development (ECD) strategy is an approach that integrates and synergizes industry, infrastructure, and urbanization through meticulous planning over a long-term horizon. An Asian Development Bank (ADB) blog post by Mr. Hoe Yun Jeong, Senior Economist (Regional Cooperation), South Asia Regional Department, published on 26 July 2016, shares how an ECD approach can be beneficial for the South Asia region.

The interactive SASEC Corridor Map on the SASEC Program website and SASEC Mobile App is your gateway to SASEC projects. View projects by sector—energy, transport, trade facilitation, and ICT—or by corridor using the interactive map, to learn how the SASEC program is helping promote regional prosperity in South Asia. The map also includes project information and links to SASEC project pages.

India is planning to develop regional connectivity projects worth around $5 billion under the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-supported SASEC Program, according to Mr. Shaktikanta Das, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, India. These initiatives include two priority road corridors that will boost connectivity with its neighbors in South and Southeast Asia and complementary integrated check posts and land Customs stations. India and ADB will also work together to develop the East Coast Econom

Dr. Selim Reihan notes that drivers of political economy can impact the region's integration agenda. In this essay, Dr. Raihan highlights the importance of exploring the political economy of regional integration to generate a better assessment of the factors driving and constraining regional integration, and create broader awareness among stakeholders to stimulate a more realistic and effective regional policy design and processes.

A potential Asian Development Bank loan of $625 million will boost the planned $840 million Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC). VCIC will form part of India’s proposed East Coast Economic Corridor, with 4 industrial nodes expected to double industrial output and improve productivity in Andhra Pradesh by 30% over the next 2 decades.

South Asia is set to play a strategic role in Asian integration. This commentary by Mr. Ganeshan Wignaraja, Advisor in the Asian Development Bank’s Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, shares how linking emerging South Asia with the more developed member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations will transform regional economies through development of regional connectivity, and create a huge regional market of 2-3 billion people.

Mr. Srini Raju, Chairman and Founder of Sri City, an Indian integrated business city, shared Sri City's development philosophy of Work-Live-Learn-Play at a seminar organized by the Asian Development Bank's South Asia Department and the Urban Sector Group on 5 June 2015. Sri City pursues industrial growth by creating world-class infrastructure and a conducive business climate while supporting sustainable communities.

The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) – which received formal endorsement through an inter-governmental group meeting in December 2013 – could potentially bring significant benefits to the four countries by deepening economic cooperation and integration. BCIM-EC will increase socio-economic development and trade in South Asia.