Sheikh Hasina Visit to India:Rail and Trade ties to be expanded

India and Bangladesh have agreed to strengthen their bilateral relationship by extending their partnership in connectivity, infrastructure, and energy. This was agreed to by both countries after the conclusion of the two-day visit of the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India on 22 June 2024. Bangladeshi Prime Minister is the first foreign leader to visit India after the Narendra Modi-led government was sworn in for his third term.

India-Bangladesh agreement on connectivity, energy and Infrastructure

India and Bangladesh signed 10 new memorandum of understanding (MOU) after the end of Sheikh Hasina’s visit to further cooperation in the fields of connectivity, energy, Infrastructure and other areas.

Connectivity and Infrastructure 

• India has extended transit facilities for the movement of Bangladeshi goods to Nepal and Bhutan through the Indian railway network.
• Both countries agreed to extend the goods-train service between Gede station in West Bengal through Darshana-Chilahati in Bangladesh to Haldibari in the northern part of West Bengal to Hasimara via Dalgaon railhead at the India-Bhutan border. The Dalagaon railhead is yet to become operational. The rail route is part of the BBIN(Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) which was signed in 2015. The BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement is a framework agreement that seeks to regulate the movement of passenger, personal, and cargo vehicles between the four countries. 
• A new train service between Rajshahi and Kolkata will be started between the two countries 
• A new bus service will be launched connecting Chittagong of Bangladesh with  Kolkata, West Bengal.
• 40 Mw of power will be evacuated from Nepal to Bangladesh through the Indian electricity grid.

Agreement on Trade 

A new  Inland Container Depot (ICD) will be developed at Sirajganj, Bangladesh, with an Indian grant to facilitate trade between the two countries.

Both sides will also soon begin talks on negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries.

Both countries will work for the early operationalisation of two special economic zones (SEZ)- Mongla and Mirsharai, offered by Bangladesh to India. 

River water sharing 

• A Joint Technical Committee will be set up to renew the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty of 1996. The Ganga water-sharing treaty is valid till 2026.
• India will undertake the conservation and management of the Teesta River inside Bangladesh with Indian assistance within a mutually agreed time frame.
• India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers.

Muktijoddha Scheme for Medical Patients

• Under the Muktijoddha Scheme for medical patients, the maximum treatment ceiling has been raised to Rs 8 lakh per patient.
• The Muktijoddha scheme was launched by the government of India in 2017 for the  descendants of the Bangladeshi who fought in the Liberation War against Pakistan, 
• Under the scheme, every year, free medical treatment is provided to 100 Muktijoddha patients at the Indian Armed Forces Hospitals.
• India has also agreed to extend the e-Medical Visa facility to Bangladeshi medical patients.

Other Agreements

• An agreement was signed between the National Payment Corporation of India(NPCI)I and Bangladesh Bank for the launch of UPI.
• India will train 350 police officers of Bangladesh.
• India will develop and launch a small satellite for Bangladesh.
• India will set up a new Assistant High Commission office in Rangpur, Bangladesh.

About Bangladesh 

Capital: Dhaka

Currency: Taka 

President: Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu

Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina Wajed.