India & Its Neighborhood

GS Paper: GS Paper II | Subject: International Relations

Prelims

(Key facts, data, schemes, laws, organizations — MCQ-ready points)

Sri Lanka: imposed a travel ban on a former president as part of the probe into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings (Colombo)
Bangladesh: government exited its IMF programme and is looking for a new loan — signals fiscal/external stress
(Related, see [border-organized-crime]) 362 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants identified in Gujarat — bears on India–Bangladesh migration management

(Analysis, dimensions, significance, critique, policy angles — for 10/15 mark answers)

Sri Lanka — accountability & stability: Reopening the Easter-attacks probe touches counter-terror cooperation and political stability in a strategically vital IOR neighbour; India has security stakes in a stable, transparent Colombo
Bangladesh — economic stress spillover: An IMF exit amid a search for fresh loans points to fragility next door → risks of instability, migration pressure, and a contest for influence (China). India's interest lies in a stable, solvent Bangladesh
Neighbourhood First test: Simultaneous churn (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) tests India's ability to be a net security and economic provider without being seen as intrusive
UPSC angle: Neighbourhood First policy, India–Sri Lanka & India–Bangladesh relations, IMF programmes & debt distress, terrorism & regional security