Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sent 600 kg of mangoes as a gift to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. An official in Bangladesh Deputy High Commission said that this gift of Mangoes comprising 'Himsagar' and 'Langra' variants have been sent to the Bengal chief minister as part of diplomatic efforts. The official added that Bangladesh had sent mangoes last year as well. Hasina has not just sent this gift to the TMC supremo but also to all the chief ministers of the Northeast reported news agency PTI.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister had sent the gift of a metric tonne of 'Amrapali' mangoes last year to former President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continuing with the "Mango-Hilsa diplomacy" of the past. Apart from PM Modi, she had also gifted it to the Chief Ministers of Tripura, Assam, and West Bengal.
Last year in September when Bangladesh PM was in India on an official visit, she gifted her Indian counterpart a book on the March 7 speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh have strengthened over the years. Prime Ministers of both nations jointly inaugurated the India-Bangladesh friendship diesel pipeline in March.
India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline
On March 18, both the leaders jointly inaugurated the India-Bangladesh friendship diesel pipeline, news agency ANI reported. The first cross-border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 377 crore, of which the Bangladesh portion was built at a cost of approximately Rs 285 crore.
The cost has been borne by the Indian government under grant assistance.
The Friendship diesel pipeline has the capacity to transport one million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) of high-speed diesel. It will initially supply high-speed diesel to seven districts in northern Bangladesh.
According to reports, the operation of the pipeline will put in place a sustainable, reliable, cost-effective and environment-friendly mode of transporting diesel between the two neighbouring countries. It will further boost cooperation in energy security between the two countries.