The Indian high commissioner in Dhaka has said that the people-to-people ties between the two countries are “stronger than ever” and that is being viewed by many as a “model” of neighbourly relations.
Published : 18 Jul 2017, 09:46 PM
“Our initiatives to liberalise visa have shown remarkable results. Today, Bangladesh tourists are the No.1 in India regarding foreign visitors,” Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday.
“By June this year (in six months), over 1.3 million crossings had taken place at the Benapole-Petrapole land port,” he said.
“The synergies between our two countries in various areas are immense, and we are fully committed to tapping these.”
He was speaking at National Defence College and Armed Forces War College in Dhaka on the ‘Contemporary India, its Foreign Policy, Security & Development Strategy & Bangladesh-India Relations’.
Commandant of the college Lt. Gen. Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy was present among others.
He said the “potential of the relationship is immense and we are on the right path”.
He said the prime minister’s visit heralded a “golden chapter” or 'Sonali Adhayaya' in the relationship affirming the “fraternal ties” between both countries and an all-encompassing partnership going beyond a ‘strategic partnership’.
A record 36 Agreements and MoUs were signed during her visit, strengthening the partnership in various areas such as connectivity, development and infrastructure, high-technology sectors such as IT, cyber security, space, and civil nuclear energy.
These included 13 agreements/MoUs with Indian public and private sector companies aimed to bring over $10 billion investment to Bangladesh in areas such as power & energy, logistics, education and medical sectors.
“With the signing of the MoU on Defence Co-operation Framework during the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister to India, the defence relationship has been institutionalised,” he said.
“The strong defence ties between the countries have manifested in the frequent exchange and interaction between defence personnel of both countries at all levels and in the training exchanges”.
The envoy said India has also been “a committed development partner of Bangladesh”.
“We fully support your vision of becoming a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041”.
During the visit of the Prime Minister, $ 5 billion dollars was pledged by India in concessional financing in addition to the earlier $3 billion in the first and second lines of credit.
He said the cooperation in power and energy sector had grown considerably in the last few years.
“We are looking at a supply of close to 5,000 MW of power to Bangladesh through various kinds of cooperation both in the public and private sector”.
At present, 660 MW of power is already flowing from India to Bangladesh.
“We are looking to synergise our flagship development programmes with development projects in Bangladesh,” he said, citing some examples.
India is supporting urban development projects in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet in line with our Smart Cities Initiative.
It also signed MoU for 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 which has collaboration with our own Namami Gange Project”.
“We are looking at partnership not just in infrastructure development but also social and economic development and plans to construct 36 community clinics in Bangladesh are underway,” he said.