India focuses projects to bring ‘tangible benefits’ to Bangladeshis

The Indian high commissioner has said that they are looking into partnership in Bangladesh just not for infrastructure development, but for social and economic development projects which bring “tangible benefits” to people of Bangladesh.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 May 2017, 05:48 PM
Updated : 24 May 2017, 05:57 PM

“We are happy to share our experiences in India in this regard,” Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Wednesday at a meeting in Dhaka.

He said New Delhi was looking to share expertise and experience of its flagship projects such as Smart Cities; Make with India; Namami Gange (National Mission for Clean Ganga) Programme.

“We have signed an MoU in energy efficiency, and a plan to install 10,000 highly efficient LED bulbs in Dhaka, Rajshahi and Chittagong is in the pipeline. We will also be jointly undertaking the Buriganga River Restoration Project under the new line of credit,” he said.

“We have a Smart Cities project in India and are looking to co-operate in urban development projects in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet; and we are going to construct 36 community clinics in Bangladesh”.

The high commissioner was speaking at the Annual General Meeting of the International Business Forum of Bangladesh, IBFB, in Dhaka.

He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent visit to India has added “a new chapter” to the deepening bilateral relationship between the countries.

“As Prime Minister Narendra Modi described, a Sonali Adhyaya has been heralded in our relationship”.

During the visit, he said both sides also “institutionalised bilateral cooperation in areas of high-technology such as IT, space, civilian nuclear energy, cyber security and earth sciences”.

He said Bangladesh’s exports were growing since 2O11 when India allowed all products duty free market access.

The current Indian investment, across sectors including pharmaceuticals, automobiles, telecommunications and cement, stands at $3 billion.

Some 13 agreements worth $10 billion investment plans in Bangladesh’s power & energy, logistics, education and medical sectors were also signed during the prime minister’s visit.

India is a “committed development partner” of Bangladesh as so far it has pledged $8 billion in concessional financing to Bangladesh.

“This demonstrates that we value our relationship with Bangladesh and accord it the highest priority,” the high commissioner said.