India and Bangladesh unveiled joint projects including the supply of buses and trucks on Monday as Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina inaugurated 36 community clinics in five districts, 11 water treatment plants and the extension of National Knowledge Network (NKN) to Bangladesh. They were unveiled through video conferencing.
Speaking about the projects, PM Modi said they are directly related to public life. "India's NKN will become a strong link between the scholars and research institutions of Bangladesh with India and the rest of the world," he said.He also outlined how the inauguration of the clinics will change the lives of around two lakh people, give them access to healthcare close to their homes.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, meanwhile, said the four projects symbolise the length and depth of the partnership between the two countries, calling them an affirmation of India's neighbourhood first policy.
Hasina also told PM Modi that her government would never allow its soil to be used by any terrorist organisations under its 'zero tolerance' policy.
Bangladesh is firmly committed to stamping out terrorism in the region, she said, and will use bilateral, regional and multi-lateral cooperation to do so. Terming the threat of radicalism as a "grave threat", not only for the two countries but also for the entire region, India and Bangladesh had resolved to step up their anti-terrorism cooperation last year.
"We remain steadfast in our resolve to root out the scourge of terrorism from our region and beyond through bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation," Hasina said.
She also expressed her "utmost sympathy" for family members of those killed in last month's terror attack in Pulwama. "We reiterate our strong condemnation of this dastardly act," she said.