--- title: "India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA)" description: "The India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, enacted via the 100th Constitutional Amendment in 2015, exchanged 162 enclaves—why it took five decades to ratify." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/india-bangladesh-land-boundary-agreement" --- [New](https://modeldiplomat.com/) # Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026 TL;DR - The India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement is a treaty operationalised by India's 100th Constitutional Amendment in 2015 to exchange enclaves and settle adverse possessions along the border. - Why did India need a constitutional amendment to implement the 1974 agreement? - How many enclaves were exchanged and what was the net territorial effect? - What happened to the people living in the exchanged enclaves? - How is the Land Boundary Agreement different from the India-Bangladesh maritime dispute? [Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026 Go beyond the definition ## Research India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (100th Amendment) like a delegate Model Diplomat's AI drafts position papers, speeches, and country research with real sources — built for MUN and politics students. ## Timeline 1. 16 May 1974 Its immediate basis is the Indo-Bangladesh Treaty signed by Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on , formally titled the Agreement Concerning the Demarca… 2. 28 May 2015 Procedurally, the agreement was given domestic effect in India through the Constitution (One Hundredth Amendment) Act, 2015, which received presidential asse… 3. 6 May 2015 The enabling Bill (originally the 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill) passed the Rajya Sabha on and the Lok Sabha on 7 May 2015, both unanimously after sus… 4. 7 May 2015 The enabling Bill (originally the 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill) passed the Rajya Sabha on 6 May 2015 and the Lok Sabha on , both unanimously after sus… 5. 6 June 2015 The instruments of ratification were exchanged during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka on , alongside Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 6. 31 July 2015 The physical transfer of enclaves became effective at midnight on , after a joint headcount conducted in July 2015 established population figures and citizen… 7. 7 July 2014 It is separate from the maritime boundary dispute between the two states, which was resolved by an Annex VII arbitral tribunal under the UN Convention on the… ## Positions at a glance ### Supporters Named implementation unfolded across specific capitals and ministries. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs coordinated with the West Bengal government under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, whose eventual support proved decisive. The joint boundary working groups operated under the Survey of India and Bangladesh's Survey Department. Cooch Behar district administration managed the resettlement, and the former enclave residents—long deprived of schools, electricity, hospitals, and police protection because neither state could legally administer pockets surrounded by the other's territory—were integrated into civic life beginning in August 2015. The Border Security Force and Border Guard Bangladesh adjusted their patrolling lines accordingly. ### Opponents Controversies persisted at the edges. Critics in Assam argued the 2011 Protocol initially ceded territory without adequate consultation, prompting the temporary exclusion of Assam from the 2013 draft Bill before its reinstatement in 2015. Questions of citizenship documentation for former enclave dwellers surfaced again during the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process in Assam after 2015 and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act debates of 2019, since former enclave residents required clear records of their newly conferred status. Development of the absorbed enclaves—electrification, road connectivity, and identity-document issuance—proceeded unevenly, and some resettled families reported delays in promised housing and livelihood support in the Cooch Behar transit camps. ## Research it like a delegate Research on modeldiplomat.com ## Ask a follow-up about India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (100th Amendment) Open a cited briefing in Model Diplomat search — timelines, positions, and sources you can use in committee or exam answers. [Start research on India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (100th Amendment)](https://modeldiplomat.com/search?q=Explain%20India-Bangladesh%20Land%20Boundary%20Agreement%20\(100th%20Amendment\)%20%E2%80%94%20key%20dates%2C%20actors%2C%20positions%2C%20and%20sources) Example India and Bangladesh exchanged 162 enclaves at midnight on 31 July 2015, after Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina exchanged ratification instruments in Dhaka on 6 June 2015. Keep learning ## Go deeper than the definition [Explore all Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams lessons](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services)[Test yourself with a quiz](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/quiz/civil-services) ## Take India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (100th Amendment) beyond the glossary Ask the AI research engine built for diplomacy — get briefings, position papers, and speeches with sources you can cite in committee.