On December 17, 2020, a virtual India-Bangladesh Summit 2020 was held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina which concluded with a Joint Statement. The highlights of the summit are as follows:
Haldibari – Chilahati rail link jointly inaugurated by India-Bangladesh Prime Ministers
During the summit, both counterparts launched the fifth rail link connecting India-Bangladesh to further strengthen people to people contact and boost trade between the two neighbours.
It is a 10.5 km long rail link, 3.5 km of which is on the Indian side, connecting Haldibari in West Bengal to Chilahati in Bangladesh.
- A goods train was flagged off by Bangladesh’s railway minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan from Chilahati.
- This route will be beneficial for transit into Bangladesh from Assam and West Bengal.
- At present there are four other operational rail links between both countries. They are, Petrapole (India)-Benapole (Bangladesh), Gede (India)-Darshana (Bangladesh), Singhabad (India)-Rohanpur (Bangladesh) and Radhikapur (India)-Birol (Bangladesh).
Point to be noted:
It should be noted that this rail link was operational till 1965 and was part of the broad-gauge rail route from Kolkata to Siliguri during partition. The link got disconnected in 1965 after the war with Pakistan. Now, the reopening of the train link is part of the joint declaration in the Inter-Governmental Railway Meeting (IGRM) between both countries at New Delhi in 2015. Indian Railways spent Rs 82.72 crore to restore the broad-gauge link from Haldibari till the international border while the rest was up upgraded by Bangladesh railways.
7 Memorandum of Understandings (MoU)/Agreements signed during the India-Bangladesh Virtual Summit
| MoU | Indian Side | Bangladesh Side |
|---|---|---|
| Framework of Understanding on Cooperation in the Hydrocarbon Sector | High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh | Additional Secretary (Development), Energy and Mineral Resources Division |
| MoU regarding Indian Grant Assistance for Implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects through Local Bodies and other Public Sector Institutions | High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh | Secretary, Economic Relations Division |
| Protocol on Transboundary Elephant Conservation | High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh | Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change |
| MoU for Supply of Equipment & Improvement of Garbage/Solid Waste Disposal Ground at Lamchori Area for Barishal City Corporation | High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh | a. Secretary, Economic Relations Division b. Mayor, Barishal City Corporation |
| MoU on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture | High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh | Executive Chairman, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council |
| MoU between Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum, Dhaka, Bangladesh and the National Museum, New Delhi, India | High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh | Curator, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum, Dhaka |
| Terms of Reference of India-Bangladesh CEO’s Forum | Commerce Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry | Secretary, Ministry of Commerce |
–Unveiled a stamp honouring Bangabandhu (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman), and launched the Bangabandhu-Bapu museum
The two prime ministers jointly unveiled a commemorative postal stamp issued by the government of India on the occasion of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. They also launched the Bangabandhu-Bapu digital museum that will showcase the values that founding fathers i.e. Bangabandhu and Mahatma Gandhi. It will be will be shown on TV-screen at different places in Bangladesh, India and some other countries
- The filming of the biopic on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, under the direction of Indian film director Shyam Benegal will commence in January 2021.
- In September 2020 Bangladeshi government issued a stamp in honour of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Bangladesh to join NDB
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Bangladesh to join the New Development Bank (NDB) formerly BRICS Bank. Current members of the new bank are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Key Points from Joint Statement on India-Bangladesh Virtual Summit:
–Bangladesh is a significant pillar of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
— Narendra Modi will visit Bangladesh March 2021 to join the celebrations to mark 50 years of Bangladesh’s Independence and India-Bangladesh diplomatic relations.
— Sheikh Hasina requested the Indian side to consider Bangladesh’s proposal to name the historic road from Mujib Nagar to Nodia on Bangladesh-India border as “Shadhinota Shorok” commemorating the historic significance during Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
–Both sides reiterated to continue regular exchanges of groups to promote culture, education, science and technology, youth and sports and mass media.
–Both sides inaugurated the Beautification and city development project in Rajshahi City and Construction of Khalishpur Collegiate Girl’s School in Khulna, both in Bangladesh.
Click here for full joint statement
Recent Related News:
i.On September 30, 2020 Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani addressed the inaugural session of ‘India- Bangladesh Virtual Conference on Textiles and Apparel Sector’ organized by CII and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of commerce and Industry (FFBCCI).
ii.On 5th November 2020, the Government of Bangladesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Beximco Pharmaceutical Limited (BPL), Bangladesh and the Serum Institute of India (SII) for the supply and distribution of 3 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine ‘AZD1222’ in Bangladesh. The AZD1222 vaccine is at the final stage of development at the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.
About Bangladesh:
Capital– Dhaka
Currency– Bangladeshi taka
