India, Bangladesh ink 22 key agreements during Narendra Modi's maiden visit

Dhaka: India and Bangladesh on Saturday inked as many as 22 agreements, including on curbing human trafficking, smuggling of fake currency and setting up an Indian Economic Zone, to boost bilateral ties.

The agreements were signed on the first day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit in the presence of other leaders, including Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Exchange of Instruments of Ratification of 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and its 2011 Protocol; Exchange of letters on Modalities for implementation of 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and a renewed Bilateral Trade Agreement were inked during Modi's two-day visit.

Agreements on two key bus services were also reached, including the Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala route that will benefit the commuters by reducing travel time by nearly one-third. Another Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati route was also flagged off by the three leaders.

Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on Prevention of Human Trafficking; Prevention of Smuggling and Circulation of Fake Currency notes; and setting up an Indian Economic Zone were also reached by the two sides.

In another key development, a Memorandum of Understanding for Extending a New Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 2 billion by India to Bangladesh was signed.

A renewed Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade besides an Agreement on Coastal Shipping between Bangladesh and India were among the other deals reached.