India, Bangladesh inaugurate 4 development projects via video conference

New Delhi [India] / Dhaka [Bangladesh], Mar 11 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, Monday jointly unveiled development projects in Bangladesh, through video conference on Monday.
The two countries jointly unveiled e-plaques for the supply of buses and trucks to Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) which were purchased with a line of credit from India. Furthermore, 36 community clinics in five districts, 11 water treatment plants in Bhandaria Pouroshova and the National Knowledge Network (NKN) Extension to Bangladesh were also inaugurated during the event.
The Indian side was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the other side in the inauguration. The foreign ministers of both countries were also present at the do and delivered their remarks along with the Prime Ministers.
Greeting the Bangladeshi people in their mother tongue, Prime Minister Modi first congratulated his Bangladeshi counterpart for her "historic" victory in the 11th General Elections which were held across Bangladesh on December 30.
He also thanked Bangladesh for extending their condolences to the families of CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attack - the responsibility of which has been claimed Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Speaking about the projects, Prime Minister Modi said: "All these projects are directly related to public life. These projects show that India-Bangladesh relations are playing an important and positive role in improving the quality of life of the people of both countries," in Hindi. He also noted that this was his sixth video conference with Hasina, underlining the close ties shared between India and Bangladesh.
"While the development of Bangladesh is a topic of happiness for India, it is also a source of inspiration for us," he said commending the Bangladeshi Prime Minister's vision for her country.
"India's National Knowledge Network will now become a strong link between the scholars and research institutions of Bangladesh with India and the whole world," Prime Minister Modi said.
"The supply of buses and trucks will play a supporting role in Bangladesh's efforts to provide affordable public transport," he added, highlighting that the water treatment plants will provide thousands of households with clean drinking water.
He also outlined how the inauguration of the clinics will positively affect around two lakh people, who will get accessible healthcare which is close to their homes in Bangladesh.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the four projects symbolise the length and depth of partnership between the two countries while outlining that the projects are an affirmation of India's neighbourhood first policy.
"As I had said earlier, neighbours first and among nations, Bangladesh first," she further said.
"These projects are designed to bring direct benefit to the lives of the people by offering accessible healthcare, drinking water supply, public transport and connecting premier research centres to our national knowledge network," she highlighted.
The two countries share friendly relations which are rooted in history and culture. India was the first country to recognise Bangladesh as a separate and independent state, establishing diplomatic relations with the country immediately after its independence in 1971. (ANI)