India rolls out red carpet for Bangladesh

Indo-Bangla ties grow as two countries agree on new consulate, Teesta conservation, defence upgrade

- YESHI SELI

A NEW consulate in Bangladesh's Rangpur, modernisation of the country's armed forces, conservation of the Teesta and e-visas for medical patients these are among the sops India has offered to Bangladesh on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's official visit to India.

"Glad to have welcomed PM Hasina to Delhi; over the year, we have met over ten times. But this visit is special because she is our first State guest after our government returned to power for the third term," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

"In line with the plans for modernisation of the Bangladesh armed forces, we will explore defence-industrial cooperation with Bangladesh to strengthen their capabilities.

We will continue to work closely with Bangladesh for our multifaceted military engagements of exercises, training and capability development," said a joint statement.