IMCG meeting.
~Preet The Foreign Secretary of India recently conducted the inaugural meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Group (IMCG) at the Secretary level. The IMCG was established as a high-level vehicle to mainstream India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy objective, which intended to improve ties with the country's neighbours. Inter-ministerial Joint Task Forces (JTFs) constituted by joint secretaries in the Ministry of External Affairs provide support to IMCG. The IMCG offered a comprehensive direction with a whole-of-government strategy to encourage improved connectivity, stronger interconnections, and more people-to-people connections with neighbours. The meeting focused on the construction of border infrastructure to facilitate greater trade with neighbours such as Nepal, the special needs of countries such as Bhutan and the Maldives in terms of supply of essential commodities, the opening of rail connectivity with Bangladesh, humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan