On September 5-8, 2022, the Prime Minister (PM) of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina was on a four-day visit to India and held bilateral talks with Indian PM Narendra Modi to review and further strengthen the relationship between both countries.
Key Discussions between both PMs:
i.Both leaders held discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation, including political and security cooperation, defence, border management, trade and connectivity, water resources, power and energy, development cooperation, cultural and people-to-people links.
ii.They also agreed to collaborate in new areas of cooperation, such as, environment, climate change, cyber security, ICT, space technology, green energy and blue economy.
iii.The Leaders directed the officials to expedite work to complete all pending developmental works within 150 yards of the Zero Line, including fencing starting with the Tripura sector.
iv.They also agreed to initiate riverine services under the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) routes 5 & 6 (Dhulian to Rajshahi -extension to Aricha) and 9 & 10 (Daudkandi to Sonamura).
v.The two Leaders agreed to expedite efforts to improve bilateral and sub-regional connectivity through early operationalization of the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) Motor Vehicle Agreement.
vi.Both Leaders looked forward to the early launch of the jointly-produced film on Bangabandhu (Mujib: the Making of A Nation).
vii.They also agreed to work towards other initiatives including operationalisation of “Shadhinota Shorok”- the historic road from Mujib Nagar in Bangladesh to the India-Bangladesh border in Nadia, West Bengal.
Click Here for Official Joint Statement
India, Bangladesh sign 7 MoUs
During the meeting Seven Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between India and Bangladesh in the areas of railways, science and technology, space technology and broadcasting. This includes Two MoUs to deepen inter-governmental railway co-operation between both nations. The following MoUs were signed in the presence of both PMs:
| MoUs Signed | Signatory from India | Signatory from Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
| MoU between Jal Shakti Ministry (India) and Ministry of Water Resources (Bangladesh) on withdrawal of water from common border river Kushiyara. | Pankaj Kumar, Secretary of Jal Shakti Ministry | Kabir Bin Anwar , Senior Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources |
| MoU between Ministries of Railways of India & Bangladesh on training of Bangladesh Railway personnel in India. | Vinay Kumar Tripathi , Chairman, Railway Board | Muhammad Imran, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India |
| MoU between Ministries of Railways of India & Bangladesh on collaboration in IT systems such as FOIS* & other IT applications for Bangladesh Railway. | Vinay Kumar Tripathi, Chairman Railway Board | Muhammad Imran, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India |
| MoU between National Judicial Academy-NJA (India) and Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on training and capacity building programme for Bangladesh Judicial Officers in India. | Vikram K Doraiswami, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh | Md Golam Rabbani, Registrar General, Supreme Court of Bangladesh |
| MoU on scientific and technological cooperation between India’s Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Bangladesh Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (BCSIR). | Dr N Kalaiselvi, DG CSIR | Dr Shahjahan Mahmood, Chairman and CEO of BSCL |
| MoU between Prasar Bharti & Bangladesh Television (BTV) on cooperation in broadcasting. | Mayank Kumar Agrawal, CEO, Prasar Bharti | S hohrab Hossain, Director General, BTV (Bangladesh Television) |
*FOIS is an acronym for Freight Operations Information System
Projects inaugurated/ Unveiled
PMs Narendra Modi, and Sheikh Hasina inaugurated/ /Unveiled the following projects:
i.Unveiling of Unit I of Maitree power plant– The 1320 (660×2) MW super critical coal-fired thermal power plant is being set up as Indian Development Assistance (IDA) under Concessional Financing Scheme at Rampal, Khulna in Bangladesh.
- Outlay– Approximately USD 2 billion with USD 1.6 billion as IDA
ii.Inauguration of Rupsha Bridge– The 5.13 km Rupsha rail bridge is a key part of the 64.7 km Khulna-Mongla Port (Bangladesh) single track broad gauge rail project, connecting for the first time Mongla Port with Khulna by rail, and thereafter to Central and North Bangladesh and also to the India border at Petrapole and Gede in West Bengal (WB).
iii.Supply of road construction equipment and machinery– The project consists of supply of road maintenance and construction equipment and machinery in 25 packages to Bangladesh Road and Highways Department.
iv.Khulna Darshana railway line link project – It is an upgradation of existing (doubling of Broad Gauge) infrastructure linking the current cross border rail link at Gede-Darshana to Khulna.
- Outlay– Approximately USD 312.48 million.
v.Parbatipur -Kaunia railway line– It is the conversion of the existing Metre Gauge line to Dual Gauge line project. It will connect to the existing cross border rail at Birol (Bangladesh)-Radhikapur (West Bengal) and will enhance bilateral rail connectivity.
- Outlay– Approximately USD 120.41 million
vi.The PM Sheikh Hasina presented the book containing translation of the historic ‘7th March Speech’ of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 23 Indian and 5 languages of other South Asian countries to PM Narendra Modi.
vii.There is an announcement regarding the offer of 20 broad gauge locomotives to Bangladesh Railway on grant basis.
India and Bangladesh to open North East Border for Trade
Both leaders have decided to open north east border for trade, and transit. This will not only boost northeastern states in India, but also benefits Bangladesh by providing a gateway to South East Asia.
- India and Bangladesh share 4096 km land border, of which 1880 km is shared with the northeastern states of Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Key Points:
i.PM Sheikh Hasina conferred the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Student Scholarship on 100 students of class 10 and 100 students of class 12 at a function in New Delhi (Delhi).
- The first ever Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Student Scholarships was conferred on the direct descendants of soldiers, officers of Armed Forces of India who were martyred or critically wounded during the historic Liberation war of 1971.
ii.During the visit, she called on the President of India, Droupadi Murmu and the Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar.
iii.India’s Union External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Gangapuram Kishan Reddy called on her.
iv.She also addressed a business event, jointly organized by Indian and Bangladesh business communities on September 7, 2022.
Recent Related News:
i.On 24th August, State Bank of India (SBI) Bangladesh Country Head of Organisation, Amit Kumar and Dr Binoy George, Deputy High Commissioner of India in Bangladesh inked the agreement to re-engage the agent for managing Indian Visa Application Centres (IVAC) in Bangladesh for another 2 years, at a ceremony organised at IVAC at Jamuna Future Park, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
ii.Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) signed MoU with the Bangladesh Roads and Highways department in Dhaka, Bangladesh for an interim set up to facilitate emergency supply of petroleum goods.
About Bangladesh:
Capital– Dhaka
Currency– Taka
