India Parliament passes bill to amend Constitution for swap of enclaves with Bangladesh

Indian parliament has passed the constitutional amendment bill regarding the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh, with the Lok Sabha’s unanimous nod to the legislation. The bill was unanimously passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The passage of the bill in Lok Sabha on Thursday will allow implementation of the agreement that includes exchange of territories in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya. Under the deal, 162 enclaves are to be exchanged. Bangladeshi enclaves have around 14,000 residents while Indian enclaves are home to 37,000. India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has clarified that no movement of population was necessitated by the exchange of enclaves.–Agency