Providing a description of what Bangladesh has been able to achieve from India, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that her recent visit to the neighbouring country didn’t end with nothing. The PM said this during a press briefing held on her recent visit to India, at her official residence Ganobhaban on Wednesday afternoon. Read:“People will vote for Awami League if they want development to continue” Replying to a question, PM Hasina said what Bangladesh achieved from India depends on one’s perception. “Bangladesh is going to get fuel from India. The (fuel) oil will be transported from Assam’s Numaligarh to our depot in the north through a pipeline which will also be built by India. Once the supply of fuel starts, the economic activities of north Bangladesh and the wellbeing of the people living there will get a boost,” the PM said. She added that Bangladesh has also discussed the issue of LNG import with India. Read:Doraiswami: PM Hasina’s India visit "extremely successful" with "strong deliverables" “Khulna region faces acute gas crisis from time to time. We’re thinking of importing LNG from India through that region, so that people living in that part of the country can be directly benefited,” added Hasina. During the briefing, PM Hasina termed the assurance of getting oil and gas from India as big accomplishments of her recent India visit.

Outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami has described Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent India visit as "extremely successful" with "very strong deliverables" on all areas of important cooperation from trade, connectivity to water sharing. "So our goal essentially was to ensure that the relationship goes forward with more trade, more cooperation," he told reporters during an interaction at Old India House on Wednesday evening. Doraiswami particularly highlighted few of the deliverables, one being the MoU on water sharing of the Kushiyara River, the first water sharing agreement that the two countries had since the Ganges water sharing treaty in 1996. Read: Under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, India-Bangladesh ties will reach new heights: Doraiswami The second thing is the announcement by the two leaders of a decision to start negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). "Third, I think the sense of focus on transport and connectivity was very strong. A very good package was negotiated and finalized in terms of railway connectivity in particular," Doraiswami said. During the visit, the Indian side requested the Bangladesh side for cooperation for initiating new sub-regional connectivity projects including a highway from Hili in West Bengal to Mahendraganj in Meghalaya through Bangladesh and in this regard, proposed preparation of a detailed project report. Read: Masud Bin Momen bids farewell to Doraiswami Responding to a question, the High Commissioner said the idea is sub regional connectivity and the numbers of road options are very limited. “Alternatives options have to be explored and we are now suggesting and looking at options…” In the same spirit, Bangladesh reiterated its eagerness to partner in the ongoing initiative of the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project. The envoy said they intended to invite Bangladesh to be one of the guests at the G20 Summit, which India will host next September. Read Hasina, Modi jointly unveil Rampal Power Plant’s unit 1 "And of course that has now been announced. So as you will understand, it is not just an invitation for the Summit level process. It is an invitation for the totality of the G20 meetings during India's chairmanship," Doraiswami said, terming it a very big deal. Essentially all the guest countries including Bangladesh will have an opportunity to be part of the larger process of negotiating outcomes for the totality of G20. India, as G20 Presidency, will be inviting Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as guest countries to its meetings and Summit. Read Dhaka, Delhi sign 7 MoUs; unveil projects India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023. Under its Presidency, India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings across the country, beginning December 2022. PM Sheikh Hasina paid a state visit to India from September 5-8 at the invitation of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. Read Getting Kushiyara water is a big success of PM’s India visit: Quader During the visit, Prime Minister Hasina called on President of India Droupadi Murmu and Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region G. Kishan Reddy called on her. Prime Minister Hasina’s programme also included launching of "Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Student Scholarship” for 200 descendants of Indian Armed Forces personnel martyred and critically injured during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. Read PM’s India Visit: Bilateral instruments on water management, defence, railway likely to be signed She also addressed a business event, jointly organized by Indian and Bangladesh business communities on September 7. Both Prime Ministers held a restricted meeting and tête-à-tête followed by delegation level talks on September 6. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the excellent state of bilateral relations, based on deep historical and fraternal ties and shared values of democracy and pluralism, which is reflected in an all-encompassing bilateral partnership, based on sovereignty, equality, trust and understanding that transcends even a strategic partnership. Read Let’s see what she achieves this time, Fakhrul about PM’s India tour They recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit in March 2021 to join the celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh, the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 50 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and India, which was followed by the state visit of the President of India in December 2021, to attend the celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of the Victory Day of Bangladesh, as the guest of honour.

Bangladesh and India today (September 6, 2022) signed seven MoUs – demonstrating cooperation in a number of areas, including water sharing of the Kushiyara River. One of the MoUs was signed between the Ministry of Water Resources, Bangladesh and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, India on withdrawal of water from the common river Kushiyara. The MoU between the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board), India and the Ministry of Railways, Bangladesh was signed on training of Bangladesh Railway personnel in India. Another MoU between the two railway ministries was signed on collaboration in IT systems such as FOIS and other applications for Bangladesh Railway.              The National Judicial Academy, India and the Supreme Court of Bangladesh signed an MoU on training and capacity building programe for Bangladeshi judicial officers in India. Also read: India always helps Bangladesh in times of need, says PM Hasina An MoU on scientific and technological cooperation was signed between Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India. The two sides signed the MoU on cooperation in the area of space technology. India’s Prasar Bharti and Bangladesh Television (BTV) signed an MoU on cooperation in broadcasting.           Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi witnessed signing of the bilateral instruments after holding bilateral talks at Hyderabad House in India's capital city as the two countries seek enhanced cooperation. Issues related to security cooperation, investment, enhanced trade relations, power and energy sector cooperation, water sharing of common rivers, water resources management, border management, combating drug smuggling and human trafficking will get priority during the talks between PM Hasina and her Indian counterpart Modi, officials said. INAUGURATED, ANNOUNCED PROJECTS The two leaders unveiled unit-I of the Maitree power plant. The 1320 (660x2) MW super critical coal-fired thermal power plant in Rampal is being set up at an estimated cost of approximately USD 2 billion with USD 1.6 billion as Indian Development Assistance under Concessional Financing Scheme. They jointly inaugurated the Rupsha Bridge. The 5.13 km Rupsha rail bridge is a key part of the 64.7 km Khulna-Mongla Port 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. 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. Also read: PM Hasina pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat Khulna Darshana railway line link project: The project is an upgrade of existing (doubling of broad gauge) infrastructure linking the current cross border rail link at Gede-Darshana to Khulna thereby augmenting the rail connections between the two countries, especially to Dhaka, but also in future to Mongla Port. The project cost is estimated at USD 312.48 million. Parbatipur -Kaunia railway line: The conversion of the existing metre gauge line to dual gauge line project is estimated at USD 120.41 million. The project will connect to the existing cross border rail at Birol (Bangladesh)-Radhikapur (West Bengal) and will enhance bilateral rail connectivity.