Outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami has said India wants Bangladesh to be happy, prosperous and successful in its democratic journey. “Your democracy is for you (Bangladeshis) to develop,” he told reporters at National Martyrs’ Memorial in Savar today. The Indian diplomat said he is not here to say that they will support this person or that person, noting that this is not a place to talk about politics.   Read: Doraiswami: PM Hasina’s India visit "extremely successful" with "strong deliverables" “The relationship (Bangladesh-India) is strong….we will always stand with Bangladesh and the people of Bangladesh,” he said on his last day in Bangladesh.  Doraiswami visited the memorial and paid tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Liberation War of 1971. He observed a minute-long silence and signed the visitors’ book there after placing the wreath.   “In everlasting memory of those who laid down their lives so that Bangladesh could live,” reads the message written on the wreath on behalf of the High Commissioner and all personnel.  The diplomat said India's relationship with Bangladesh is now stronger with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to India. Read: Under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, India-Bangladesh ties will reach new heights: Doraiswami He said the people of Bangladesh are very good-hearted people. “As a result, I have performed my duties well in this country so far.” Doraiswami, who has been appointed as High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom, is scheduled to leave Bangladesh tomorrow. Earlier at a farewell reception on Thursday evening, Doraiswami said Bangladesh-India relationship is like a “train” and that train must keep moving to do more great things together. Read "Bangladesh-India are connected through the heart" Doraiswami said people of Bangladesh and India are connected through souls and hearts, and it is stronger than blood ties. “We always have faith in that connection.”

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.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the relations between Bangladesh and India have reached a new level. The Prime Minister said this when Indian High Commissioner Vikram Kumar Doraiswami met her at her official residence Ganobhaban. PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. Also read: Grab investment opportunities in Bangladesh, PM Hasina to global investors Karim said both the Prime Minister and the envoy discussed issues relating to the enhancement of trade and commerce between the two neighbouring countries. In this connection, Hasina put emphasis on the resumption of Akhaura-Agartala rail line to boost connectivity and trade as everything is there for the rail communication.  Doraiswami informed the Prime Minister that the Indian President will visit Bangladesh to join the Victory Day celebrations coinciding the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of the Independence. “This is a special year, a year when the Indian President and the Prime Minister are visiting Bangladesh. For India, Bangladesh is a very dear country,” he said. The Indian envoy mentioned that they will showcase the Bangladesh-India relations to demonstrate a good framework of ties. The officials of the two countries are working on finalising the Indian President’s tour. Hasina said there is significant progress in trade, business and tourism between the two countries and now they have to remain cautious to tackle the Covid-19. Also read: Sheikh Mujib a champion of human rights, freedom: Modi Doraiswami thanked Hasina for helping his country by providing medical equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic. He handed over a very rare photograph of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman where he was seen taking one security man to his home for having lunch with him in 1972. He also handed over a pen drive containing some audios and videos alongside some newspaper clippings. The Prime Minister recalled that they had passed horrible days in December 1971 under the captivity of the Pakistani occupation forces but when India recognised Bangladesh as a sovereign and independent country it was a great message for them. Ambassador at Large Md Ziauddin and Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus were also present.

The constitutions of Bangladesh and India have largely contributed to world politics and jurisprudence, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami says. India has emerged from 200 years of experience, and the independence of the judiciary was one of the critical parts of its history, the envoy said. "The constitution demands interpretation in the light of the spirit of the constitution-makers," Doraiswami said. He suggested that the provisions of the constitution should be made understandable to everyone as the young people should understand why there is a constitution and how it matters to them. To understand the goals and purpose of the constitution one has to read its preamble, Doraiswami added.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka Thursday hosted a reception in the capital to celebrate the "57th Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day." Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury graced the occasion as the chief guest and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami was also present. ITEC, a flagship programme of India, was instituted in 1964 as part of the country's development assistance programme. Within this framework, India is offering the developing countries the benefit of its development experience and appropriate technologies. Every year, more than 10,000 training slots are offered to 161 partner countries for training courses in areas such as accounts, audit, management, small and medium-sized business, rural development, and parliamentary affairs, according to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

Bangladesh and India can reap more mutual trade benefits through better collaboration – namely, in the apparel and textile industry – Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan said Thursday. "There are great opportunities for Bangladesh and India to complement each other in boosting apparel and textile business in both countries," he said.  The BGMEA president made the remarks as Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami paid a courtesy call on the BGMEA leaders at the office of the apparel industry's apex body. BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim; directors Asif Ashraf, Md Mohiuddin Rubel, Tanvir Ahmed, and Abdullah Hil Rakib, Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr Binoy George, and Commercial Representative of the High Commission Dr Pramyesh Basall were also present at the meeting. They discussed existing problems in export-import – namely, in ready-made garments (RMG) and textile industry – possible ways to address them, and potential areas of further collaboration between Bangladesh and India to derive mutual trade benefits. Read: After 56 yrs, Bangladesh-India rail link to reopen Sunday

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami has paid tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as Bangladesh observes the National Mourning Day. "We're inspired to protect the values Bangabandhu stood for," the Indian High Commission in Dhaka tweeted. Read:FM pays tributes to Bangabandhu

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has requested the Indian government to expedite and facilitate Bangladeshi’s export-import trade through Bangaon-Benapole land port. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan wrote a letter to Indian High Commission in Dhaka Vikram Kumar Doraiswami on Wednesday in this regard. "We earnestly request you to kindly take up the issue with concerned authorities of your country and resolve the problem at your earliest to expedite the bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh, which is extremely important for our RMG sector," the letter reads. Faruque said Bangladeshi’s apparel exporters are importing substantial volume of raw materials from India and the transit time from India to Bangladesh is critical. Also read: BGMEA urges buyers not to penalise suppliers for lockdown-caused delays Recently, he said, they are facing lots of delays in transit of imported goods from India. "We are hearing from the Forwarders and Clearing agents in Benapole that the scrutiny/security measures and lack of manpower for export of goods at Indian customs point particularly Bangaon are facing long delays and the transit time is getting very long for the trucks to cross the Bangaon-Benapole boarder," he said. Due to this, Faruque said, many trucks laden import & export goods are stuck at Indian points which is hampering import & export business with India and impacting the transit time of raw materials for RMG factories in Bangladesh. "We have confidence that you can use your good office to solve this problem at Indian Customs point to expedite the smooth flow of goods from India, and thereby further facilitate the bilateral trade growth," the BGMEA president wrote. The global trade is facing very tough time due to corona pandemic, the entire supply chain of RMG sector is working on a very tight Time & Action (T&A) Calendar, the BGMEA chief said. Also read: BGMEA donates high flow nasal cannulas to DNCC Covid-19 Hospital The export trade of Bangladesh’s ready-made garments is also facing same problem, he said. Local entrepreneurs have been trying their utmost to turn around from this situation with the help of the government and all the players involved in supply chain operation. The BGMEA chief said RMG sector of Bangladesh is facing challenge to meet up the lead time given by foreign buyers to export apparels in the middle of pandemic and locked down situation. "Foreign buyers are insisting on shortest possible lead time and deadline to export the manufactured apparels. Due to shortest possible T&A, Bangladesh manufacture depends on shortest possible production time and transit time from the raw material supplying entities countries," he said.

India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, is working to resume the export of Covid vaccine jabs to Bangladesh as vaccine production in India is growing rapidly. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami reiterated this at Akhaura International Checkpost on his way back to Bangladesh from India on Friday morning. Read:India trying to send vaccine jabs to Bangladesh soon: Doraiswami The envoy said India is working to resume the vaccine supply to Bangladesh and the increased production of Covid vaccine is a positive sign. "Hopefully, we’ll be able to send vaccine jabs to Bangladesh if vaccine production increases further. But I can't give any specific date in this regard," he told local journalists. He said the trade volume between the two countries has increased despite the pandemic. "If our communication systems remain suitable, then we’ll be able to continue trading amid this pandemic." Read:Doraiswami keen to push Covaxin as Covishield exports disrupted Doraiswami also said India will be happy it can cooperate more with Bangladesh in their fight against Covid-19. Akhaura Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rumana Akhter, officer-in-charge of Akhaura Police Station Md Mizanur Rahman and Immigration Police In-Charge Md Abdul Hamid others were present. On July 18, the envoy went to New Delhi though Akhaura land port to discuss how India can expedite the supply of the remaining doses of Covishield jabs produced by Serum Institute of India. Read:Greater trade, connectivity hold brighter future for Dhaka-Delhi ties: Doraiswami Bangladesh was scheduled to get three crore doses of vaccines from India under a tripartite agreement signed last year. But New Delhi halted the export after sending only 75 lakh doses in March citing high domestic demand.

India is doing its best to resume the export of Covid vaccine jabs to Bangladesh soon as per its earlier deal, its High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami said on Sunday.   The envoy said he is going to New Delhi to discuss how India can expedite the supply of the remaining doses of Covishield jabs produced by Serum Institute of India. Also read: Doraiswami keen to push Covaxin as Covishield exports disrupted Doraiswami made the remarks during a visit to Akhaura land port immigration check post. Bangladesh was scheduled to get three crore doses of vaccines from India under a tripartite agreement signed last year. New Delhi halted the export after sending only 75 lakh doses in March citing high domestic demand. Earlier, Doraiswami informed that the delivery of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Bangladesh was under discussion. Any update will be conveyed to Dhaka when the production increases in India, he said. Also read: Bangladesh to get vaccines quickly, urgently: Doraiswami The Indian envoy said the Akhaura-Agartala railway project has been delayed a bit but he is hopeful that the train services will start on this route within December.