Last few years were golden chapter in India-Bangla ties: Modi

The last few years have been a golden chapter in India-Bangladesh relationship during which complicated issues of land and coastal boundaries were resolved, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.

Modi, who greeted his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina in Bengali, said the government would take initiatives to ensure that the youth of both the countries get to know about the cultural contributions made by dignitaries of the two nations.

Be it road, railways, international waterways or coastal shipping, the two countries were rapidly moving forward in the area of connectivity, he said after inaugurating Bangladesh Bhavan on the Visva Bharati University campus along with Hasina.

The shared heritage of the two countries and Rabindra Sangeet (songs by Rabindranath Tagore) have sweetened India-Bangladesh ties over the years, Modi said, adding, "Like we have inaugurated the Bangladesh Bhavan in West Bengal, we have also taken the responsibility to renovate Tagore's residence 'Kuthibaari' in Kushtiya district of Bangladesh."

Listing the development initiatives taken by both the countries, he said, "Last year, an air-conditioned train was introduced between Kolkata and Khulna. We named it as Bandhan. Our country has been supplying electricity to Bangladesh. Presently it is 600 MW, but we have a target to increase the supply to 1,100 MW this year."

Modi also stated that the neighbouring country was taking giant strides in space technology.

"Bangladesh has launched its satellite and opened up a new door for cooperation in this area," he said.