NRC an ongoing process, will check how situation emerges: India to Bangladesh

Two days after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she was happy with PM Modi’s assurance that Bangladesh need not to worry over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, she raised the issues again on Saturday to which India said that it’s an ongoing process and will have to see how situation emerges.

Last month, the leaders of the two nations had met each other on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

According to government sources, Hasina briefed PM Modi about her government’s efforts to persuade the displaced. “India has already spent Rs 120 crores aid to help the displaced in Bangladesh.”

During the meeting of the two leaders, India also conveyed that there is a need to recognize greater effort to persuade displaced that it was in their interest to go back as it is not sustainable to live in such conditions for a extended period.

As part of the consideration, Bangladesh also raised the Rohingya issue. “From the Indian side, it was conveyed that Bangladesh has undertaken a heroic task to facilitate the displaced. India is doing all it can and also providing socio-economic support,” sources added.

Meanwhile, it has been decided that the air connectivity between India and Bangladesh will be increased to 120 flights per week. To enhance the diplomatic relationship further, new Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh will be located in Chennai

“I am glad that I got an opportunity to inaugurate three more bilateral projects between India and Bangladesh today. In one year, we have inaugurated total 12 joint projects,” Prime Minister Modi said.

As part of the day-long meet, both the countries also signed seven agreements in areas of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the use of Chattogram and Mongla ports, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) withdrawal of 1.82 cusec of water from Feni river by India for drinking water supply in Tripura, agreement concerning implementation of GoI Line of Credits (LOC) extended to Bangladesh, MoU between University of Hyderabad and University of Dhaka, cultural exchange programme, MoU on co-operation in Youth Affairs, and an MoU on providing coastal surveillance system