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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina attend the inauguration of three Indian-assisted development projects via a video conference, on November 1, 2023
| Photo Credit: PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated three Indian-assisted development projects via video conferencing on Wednesday. The three projects are the Akhaura-Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link, Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line and Unit-II of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant in Rampal, Bangladesh.
The inauguration of rail and power sector projects between India and Bangladesh lay focus on strengthened ties and partnership between the two countries.
“The joint inauguration of these important projects manifests the firm friendship and collaboration between our two friendly countries. I would like to thank PM Modi for the warm hospitality during my visit in September 2023 to attend the G20 Summit,” the Bangladesh Prime Minister said. “I express my gratitude for your commitment to strengthening the bonds of friendship between our two countries.”
The Akhaura-Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link project has been executed under an Indian grant assistance of ₹392.52 crore extended to Bangladesh. The length of the rail link is 12.24 km with a 6.78 km Dual Gauge rail line in Bangladesh and 5.46 km in Tripura.
The Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line Project has been implemented under India’s concessional Line of Credit with a total project cost of $388.92 million. The project entails the construction of approximately 65 km of broad gauge rail route between Mongla Port and the existing rail network in Khulna. With this, Mongla, the second largest port of Bangladesh, gets connected with the broad-gauge railway network.
The Maitree Super Thermal Power Project, under an Indian Concessional Financing Scheme loan of 1.6 billion US dollars, is a 1320 MW Super Thermal Power Plant located in Rampal in Khulna Division of Bangladesh. The project has been implemented by the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited which is a 50:50 Joint Venture company between India’s NTPC Ltd and Bangladesh Power Development Board. These projects will strengthen connectivity and energy security in the region.
During the inauguration ceremony, Sheikh Hasina also extended greetings to Prime Minister Modi and the people of India in advance for Diwali.
“I would conclude her by conveying warm greetings in advance for the upcoming Diwali. I wish Your Excellency PM Modi and the people of India a very Happy Diwali,” the Bangladesh Prime Minister said.
Over the last decade, the Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue has served as a critical platform for strengthening bilateral relations between the two nations. The theme of this year’s Dialogue is ‘Fostering a comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership’.
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