Accord on SME capacity building, renewable energy, fuel pipeline with India

The Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meeting between Bangladesh and India yielded three specific instruments including signing and handing over of three bilateral documents which includes capacity building in SME, sale-purchase agreement between Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation and Numaligarh Refinery of India and enhancement of cooperation in renewable energy sector by taking Indian knowledge and technology.
Indian External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj and Bangladesh Foreign Minister AM Mahmood Ali also handed over the instrument of ratification for framework agreement on international solar alliance that Bangladesh ratified in August 2017, which said 50 per cent energy of Bangladesh would be generated from renewable sources by 2050.
However, sharing of Teesta water and hydropower electricity from Nepal and Bhutan is still a pending issue or in an "assurance level" agenda to the Indian side thus the Indian External Affair Minister did not give any assurance in this regard, diplomatic sources told the Daily Observer on Sunday.
According to the sources, Bangladesh to import liquid fuel, especially diesel through  proposed Indo-Bangla Friendship pipeline (which is some 516 km - 253 km in India and 263 km in Bangladesh - on an existing rail line to transport diesel) from Siliguri to Parbatipur, with a carrying capacity of 1 million tonnes of fuel a year.
Under the proposal, LNG will be imported at the under-construction Dharma terminal in Odisha and gas transported through pipeline up to Dattapulia in West Bengal. A 70-km pipeline will be laid to Khulna for moving the gas.
"The pipelines are part of a non-binding Framework of Understanding (FoU) which India will enter into with Bangladesh for cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector," Indian Oil Secretary K D Tripathi told the Indian media recently.
"As part of the cooperation, India is looking at setting up a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Bangladesh, supplying diesel from Numaligarh Refineries Ltd and selling LPG," he said.
The agreement will be effective for 15 years.
The estimated cost is Rs363 crore, however, India will finance the pipeline as grant-in-aid.
"Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation will pay Numaligarh Refinery Ltd a premium of US$5.50 per barrel."
India also agreed to facilitate import of electricity to Bangladesh from hydro projects in Nepal.
Minister Ali said the Indian side agreed to supply 340 MW more electricity from Tripura through Comilla grid in addition to current import of 600 MW of electricity.
Both the countries agreed that BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement will be implemented between Bangladesh, India and Nepal through exchange of letters keeping provision for Bhutan to join later.
Sushma Swaraj arrived here on Sunday on a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral issues aiming to take forward the ties to the next level.
MoU for trilateral hydropower cooperation among Bangladesh, India and Bhutan would be signed soon.
Following the meeting AH Mahmood Ali told media, "We discussed the issue of sharing of water of common rivers, including the signing of Teesta Water sharing agreement."
Minister Ali said they recalled the statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 8 that the Teesta agreement will be signed during the current tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Modi.
"We sought India's technical and financial support to carry out a feasibility study on the long-term options for Bangladesh to ensure optimum use of Ganges water," he said.
Both the sides reiterated the strong commitment not to allow use of their soils against each other's interest and zero tolerance against terrorism and violent extremism.
The two countries laid emphasis on bringing down the number of deaths at border to zero.
The Indian External Affairs Minister said both the countries are determined to protect their societies from the threat of ideologies of hate, violence and terror by adopting a zero tolerance policy and a comprehensive approach in fighting violent extremism and terrorism at all levels.