Samridhi Bimal

• Phd
• Fellow at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations

India and Nepal have traditionally shared a unique relationship of friendship and economic cooperation. The relationship is characterised by an open and people-friendly border and is built on shared historical, cultural, linguistic and ethnic links between people residing in India and Nepal. With Nepal being a priority under India ‘Neighborhood Fir...

Despite consistent efforts towards trade and investment normalization, South Asia remains one of the least economically integrated regions in the world. While formal trade in South Asia is abysmally low, informal trade has been a persistent feature of the region and continues to thrive. Analysts regard this growing informal trade to be one of the k...

The year 2018 was a milestone year for India-Bhutan relationship as the countries celebrated the accomplishments of the last fifty years of time-tested and special ties. The mutually beneficial economic ties have been the centre-piece of India-Bhutan relationship. India is Bhutan’s largest export market, the biggest source of its imports and one of...

India and Nepal have traditionally shared a unique relationship of friendship and economic cooperation. The relationship is characterized by an open and people-friendly border and is built on shared historical, cultural, linguistic, ethnic links between people residing in India and Nepal. With Nepal being a priority under India ‘Neighborhood First’...

As India seeks to strengthen trade, investment and other forms of economic cooperation with ASEAN, Myanmar is an essential strategic partner, since it is the only ASEAN nation with which India shares both land and maritime borders. As a ‘gateway’ to South East Asia, Myanmar is also vital in terms of economic development for India’s North East Regio...

Significant measures were undertaken by India and Pakistan to liberalize trade in 2012. In particular, Pakistan’s policy to permit all items to be imported from India except for a few items was expected to bring about a quantum increase in India’s exports. Similarly, India’s efforts to address Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) were expected to lead to an...

Trade facilitation measures improve the trading environment by reducing transaction costs and thereby increasing the gains from trade. Although the use of trade facilitation measures for tackling trade bottlenecks has gained traction in recent times, one aspect which remains largely unexplored is the importance of gender sensitivity in trade facili...

Building upon the themes covered in our previous book “India–Pakistan Trade: Strengthening Economic Relations” (Springer 2014), the present book compiles a new set of studies that delve into the unfinished India–Pakistan Trade normalization agenda while discussing the steps that must be undertaken for taking the bilateral engagement forward. The un...

Improvements in the land route between India and Pakistan can help lower transaction costs which can play in important role in realizing the trade potential between the two countries. Connecting India and Pakistan by the land route offers gains not only to the two countries but would spread over a wide geography covering several countries. With the...

A Trade Perception Survey was first undertaken by ICRIER in 2014 to understand how businesses engaged in India–Pakistan trade perceived impediments faced by them in realizing the trade potential between the two countries. A second round of survey was conducted in 2015 to assess any changes in the extent of impediments faced by stakeholders in India...

Informal trade continues to thrive between India and Pakistan despite recent measures undertaken by the two countries to normalize trade and reduce transport impediments. This calls for an in-depth analysis of India’s informal trade with Pakistan. Studying the informal aspect of the trading relationship would offer insights into the functioning of...

Despite an uncertain political relationship, and tensions between India and Pakistan, healthcare is a sector for trade that has the potential to grow. It is a soft sector, offering a win-win situation for both countries as producers will get a larger market for their products while consumers will have more options and superior quality products to c...

Informal trade continues to thrive between India and Pakistan despite recent measures undertaken by the two countries to normalize trade and reduce transport impediments. This calls for an in-depth analysis of India’s informal trade with Pakistan. This study (i) identifies factors determining informal trade, (ii) prepares estimates of India's infor...

Improvements in the land route between India and Pakistan can help lower transaction costs which can play in important role in realizing the trade potential between the two countries. Connecting India and Pakistan by the land route offers gains not only to the two countries but would spread over a wide geography covering several countries. With th...

Trade and transport facilitation are vital for increasing countries’ international trade and it is important to ensure that the measures implemented to facilitate trade are effective. One of the crucial factors behind the successful implementation of trade and transport facilitation is ensuring effective co-ordination among the various government a...

There are a large number of inadequacies in the prevailing Indiaâ€"Nepal transit treaty. Issues with regard to documentation requirements, trans-shipment procedures, sensitive items, arbitrary bank guarantees, and poor infrastructure have resulted in considerably high transaction costs for transit cargo. Although the value of the total transit trad...

India's trade deficit with China widened from $23 billion in 2010 to $35 billion in 2013, accounting for 25% of India's total trade defi cit. What is driving this widening of the trade gap and what options does India have to close the gap?

With the trade normalization process between India and Pakistan gathering momentum from November 2011, new opportunities for enhancing bilateral trade have opened up between the two countries. This study estimates the trade potential between India and Pakistan and examines how this potential can be realized. Using the Trade Possibility Approach for...

Duty-free barter trade across the Line of Control from two points in Jammu and Kashmir has grown since its initiation as a confidence building measure in 2008. Despite growing volumes, traders face several logistical and policy hurdles that mean risky returns on trade and high transaction costs. The governments of India and Pakistan must formalise...

With the growing importance of FDI for developing countries, and against the background of investment trends, the attractiveness of Pakistan as a host destination, and the growing importance of India as a source destination for foreign investment in South Asia, there is great potential for Pakistan to attract FDI from India. In this context, this c...

This Trade Perception Survey was undertaken to understand how stakeholders engaged in India-Pakistan trade perceived impediments faced by them in realizing the trade potential between the two countries. Based on an analysis of information collected in the survey on six indicators – awareness of trade policy, ease of meeting standards, market access...