Delhi
Dhaka wants removal of tariff, non-tariff barriers to reduce trade deficit with Delhi
Bangladesh has expressed satisfaction with increasing trade with India and emphasised removing all tariff and non-tariff barriers to reduce the trade deficit.
At the foreign office consultation (FOC) Wednesday, Bangladesh sought India's cooperation in resolving the pending issues, especially, concluding water-sharing treaties, including Teesta.
Bangladesh also emphasised maintaining a predictable flow of commodities from India for a stable market in Bangladesh.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Foreign Secretary of India Vinay Mohan Kwatra led their respective delegations at the FOC held at the Foreign Service Academy.
Masud congratulated India for taking the presidency of the G20 and thanked it for inviting Bangladesh as a "guest country."
The Indian foreign secretary said they included Bangladesh as a guest country for sharing the experience of the growth trajectory of Bangladesh achieved under the "visionary leadership" of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with other members of G20.
Kwatra described Bangladesh as India's trusted friend and reiterated that India is "committed to working with Bangladesh in the coming days."
He said Bangladesh is one of the most important pillars towards India's "Neighbourhood First Policy" and a key partner to its "Act East Policy."
He also emphasised exploring and working together in emerging sectors for cooperation.
Both the foreign secretaries expressed satisfaction with the "excellent bilateral relationship" that exists between the two countries.
Read more: India to help Bangladesh import hydropower from Nepal, Bhutan: FS
Dhaka, Delhi to hold foreign secretary-level talks in Dhaka Wednesday
Bangladesh and India are scheduled to hold Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on Wednesday, which will review the ongoing cooperation between the two countries apart from the issues of mutual interests.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra will arrive in Dhaka after the completion of his two-day official visit to Nepal from February 13 to 14.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and his Indian counterpart will discuss all the bilateral issues at the FOC.
Kwatra assumed charge as foreign secretary on May 1 last year, and this will be his first Bangladesh visit after that.
Preparatory works regarding the FOC are now underway, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Seheli Sabrin told the reporters at a weekly briefing Thursday.
She said the last FOC was held on January 29, 2021, in New Delhi, India.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to attend the 18th Group of Twenty (G20) Summit which will take place in New Delhi on September 9-10 this year.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited her Bangladesh counterpart Hasina to attend the Summit.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will attend the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi on March 1-2.
The issues related to the upcoming visits by the prime minister and foreign minister are likely to be discussed during the Indian foreign secretary’s visits, said a diplomatic source.
Kwatra is likely to meet the prime minister and foreign minister during his visit.
India, which holds the presidency of the G20 from December 1 2022 to November 30, 2023, invited Bangladesh as a "guest country" in its all meetings, Seheli said.
Bangladesh sees its series of engagements with the G20 under India's presidency this year as a "big honour" for it.
"We will raise our issues there. It is a big honour for us. We should be prudent," Momen told the reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently, noting that Bangladesh is the only South Asian country invited by the host.
The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation, which plays an "important role" in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues.
India invited Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as guest countries to its meetings and summit, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, India.
Apart from the G20 leaders, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Oman Head of State Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan were invited to the G20 Summit.
Hasina paid a state visit to India from September 5 to 8 last year at the invitation of Modi.
The G20 comprises 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the UK, the US and the European Union.
The G20 members represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 percent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
Read more: Being invited to G20 Summit is a big honour for Bangladesh, says Momen
Dhaka air world’s most polluted this morning
Dhaka has once again topped the list of cities with the worst air quality this morning (January 14, 2023).
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 251 at 8:55 am on Saturday, Dhaka ranked first in the list of cities with the worst air.
An AQI between 151 and 200 is said to be ‘unhealthy’ while 201 and 300 is considered ‘very unhealthy’, and 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
Read more: Dhaka air world’s most polluted this morning
India’s Delhi, Uzbekistan’s Tashkent and India’s Mumbai occupied the second, third and fourth spots with an AQI of 223, 166, and 165 respectively.
Meanwhile, an AQI between 101 and 150 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Read more: Dhaka's air in 'very unhealthy' zone with AQI score of 209
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Dhaka, Delhi agree on security, border management to strengthen cooperation
Bangladesh and India on Tuesday reiterated their commitment to further deepen and strengthen mutual cooperation in the security and border related issues.
The outcome came as the 18th meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on security and border management between Bangladesh and India was held on December 5-6, according to a media statement issued by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Indian delegation was led by Piyush Goyal, Additional Secretary, Indian Ministry of Home Affairs while Bangladesh delegation was led by AK Mukhlesur Rahman, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had met the Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on November 18 on the sidelines of the ‘No Money For Terror’ Conference in New Delhi.
Both sides had productive exchanges on border management and common security related issues during that meeting.
Following on from the meeting between the two ministers last month, at Tuesday’s meeting both sides highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries and reiterated their commitment to further deepen mutual cooperation.
Read more: Dhaka, Delhi "committed to further enhance" bilateral military ties
The Bangladesh side recalled the Indian contribution during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
Bilateral issues such as border fencing and developmental works within 150 yards of the international border, illegal crossing, bilateral cooperation in checking insurgency, combating terrorism, organised crimes and smuggling were also discussed in the meeting.
Read more: Dhaka, Delhi eye more achievements through joint efforts with solid stability
Dhaka, Delhi very special partners: Assistant high commissioner of India
Assistant High Commissioner of India in Chattogram Dr Rajeev Ranjan has said India and Bangladesh are very special partners.
"India's partnership with Bangladesh stands out as a role model in the region for neighbourly relations. This tie can be strengthened through educational and research exchanges," he added.
Dr Rajeev was speaking at the opening ceremony of the week-long "International training workshop on companion animal nutrition and small animal reproduction" at the Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU) Friday.
Read: Sylhet important to close Dhaka-London relationship: Javed Patel
CVASU Vice-Chancellor Dr Goutam Buddha Das and Madras Veterinary College (MVC) Dean Dr R Karunakaran were also present.
CVASU students have been doing internships at MVC since 2002.
During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit in 2017, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was again signed between the two institutions for educational exchanges.
Indian capital battles dangerous levels of air pollution
Indian authorities on Friday shut factories and construction sites, restricted diesel-run vehicles and deployed water sprinklers and anti-smog guns to control haze and smog enveloping the skyline of the capital region.
The Delhi government closed primary schools and restricted outdoor activity for older students as the air quality index exceeded 470, considered “severe” and more than 10 times the global safety threshold, according to the state-run Central Pollution Control Board.
In NOIDA, short for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, a city on the outskirts of New Delhi, schools shifted to online classes up to the eighth grade to meet the public health crisis.
The haze enveloped monuments and high-rise buildings in and around New Delhi.
India's Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav blamed the northern Punjab state, ruled by the opposition Aam Admi Party, for its failure to stop the burning of crop residues, a key contributor to the pollution, at the start of the winter wheat-sowing season.
Read more:Nine arrested after bridge collapses in India, killing 134
"There is no doubt over who has turned Delhi into a gas chamber," Yadav tweeted on Wednesday.
The state's top elected official, Bhagwant Mann, defended himself by saying that his government took office only six months ago and that the federal and state governments needed to tackle the pollution crisis together.
Sarvjeet Singh, a 48-year-old autorickshaw driver, said the smog was hurting his eyes and he was finding it difficult to breathe. "There are problems, especially in the morning. It’s difficult to drive my vehicle because of the pollution. My autorickshaw is open. It will affect us more than people in cars. We have to work, what can we do?”
Rahul Azmera, 29, a software engineer who works in the United States and is visiting New Delhi with his parents, said, “I feel like if I stay here for one month, I would be hospitalized, definitely. That would scare me a lot.”
“I feel a lot of heavy breathing here because of the pollution. I could barely see up to 100 meters (328 feet) or 200 meters (656 feet),” he said.
A full closure of schools, colleges, educational institutions and non-emergency commercial activities, and a restriction on private vehicles, is being considered in case the pollution level does not come down this weekend, a government statement said late Thursday.
The government advised children, the elderly and those with respiratory, cardiovascular and other health problems to avoid outdoor activities and stay indoors as much as possible.
New Delhi tops the list almost every year among the many Indian cities gasping for breath after the Diwali festival celebrations with their massive lighting of firecrackers. The crisis is exacerbated particularly in the winter when the burning of crop residues in neighboring states coincides with cooler temperatures that trap deadly smoke. That smoke travels to New Delhi, leading to a surge in pollution in the city of more than 20 million people.
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The government ban on construction and demolition activities includes projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, overhead bridges, power transmission and pipelines. The government also asked authorities in the Indian capital region covering New Delhi and parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states to decide whether to allow public, municipal and private offices to work at 50% strength and ask others to work from home.
The federal government also is considering whether to permit work from home for its offices.
It said the overall air quality in New Delhi is likely to remain in the "severe" or “very severe” categories until Saturday. An Environment Ministry review will be held on Monday.
Emissions from industries with no pollution control technology and coal, which helps produce most of the country’s electricity, have been linked to bad air quality in other urban areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the country will aim to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2070 — two decades after the U.S. and at least 10 years later than China.
Dhaka, Delhi reiterate strong commitment to eliminate terrorism
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have reiterated their strong commitment to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
They decided to further strengthen their cooperation to counter and prevent the spread of terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation in the region and beyond.
Noting with satisfaction that the number of deaths due to incidents along the border has significantly reduced, both sides agreed to work towards bringing the number down to zero, according to a joint statement issued on Wednesday.
Both sides noted with appreciation the stepped up efforts by the two border guarding forces against smuggling of arms, narcotics and fake currency and to prevent trafficking, particularly of women and children, it said.
Read:Indian investors can set up industries in Bangladesh through buy-back arrangement: PM
Both prime ministers held a restricted meeting and tête-à-tête followed by delegation level talks on Tuesday.
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.
PM Hasina is paying a state visit to India from September 5-8 at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Modi.
Read:Dhaka to list Indian Oil as G2G supplier of refined petroleum products
During the visit, she called on President of India Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region G. Kishan Reddy called on her.
Hasina’s programme also includes 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.
She also addressed a business event, jointly organized by Indian and Bangladesh business communities on Wednesday.
Dhaka, Delhi sign 7 MoUs; unveil projects
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.
How India plans to blow up two illegal skyscrapers near Delhi
In nine seconds flat, two skyscrapers built illegally in the city of Noida near the Indian capital nine years ago will be razed by a controlled explosion on Sunday afternoon.
India's Supreme Court, in August last year, ordered the demolition of the 40-storey twin towers -- Apex and Ceyane -- built by private developer Supertech for violation of various building norms.
The twin towers will be India's largest ever highrises to be imploded at 2.30 pm (local time), using 3,700kg of explosives.
"I am getting goosebumps. I am a little nervous but confident as well," Utkarsh Mehta of Edifice Engineering, the company entrusted with the demolition job, told the local media this morning.
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Mehta said the explosion would trigger vibrations like that of a minor earthquake, which will be felt in a 30-40 metre radius of the twin towers.
"The dust will take 15-20 minutes to settle down but we would need at least three to four months to clear the debris. Anti-smog guns have been pressed into action to clear the Noida sky," he said.
Local civic authorities have already ensured the evacuation of residents of all housing societies in the vicinity of the twin towers. Stray dogs have also been shifted to animal shelters, officials said.
"The nearby Noida Expressway will be shut for 45 minutes for the demolition. Hospitals in the city have been put on alert and 8-10 ambulances kept at standby in case of any untoward situation," a police officer said.
Demolitions of highrises are rare in India. Two years ago, authorities in the southern state of Kerala razed two luxury waterfront highrises for flouting environmental norms.
Dhaka, Delhi finalise text of MoU on interim water sharing of Kushiyara river
Bangladesh and India on Thursday finalised the text of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on interim water sharing of Kushiyara river.
Both sides also welcomed finalisation of the design and location of water intake point on the Feni river to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in Tripura as per the October 2019 Bangladesh-India MoU on this subject.
At the 38th ministerial level Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) meeting held in New Delhi, the two countries discussed “issues related to water-sharing treaties” of various rivers, including Teesta and Ganga.
The meeting was held after a gap of twelve years. The last meeting was held in 2010.
State Minister for Water Resources Zaheed Farooque led the 17-member Bangladesh delegation at the JRC meeting while India's Jal Shakti (Water Resources) Minister Gajendra Singh Shakhawat led the Indian delegation.
AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem, deputy minister for Water Resources was also part of the Bangladesh delegation.
The meeting assumed significance as it was held after a long gap, though the technical interactions under the framework of JRC have continued in the intervening period.