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Enhanced cooperation between India and Bangladesh augurs well for our peoples as well as progress of both countries: PM Modi

Published By : Admin | September 10, 2018 | 18:19 IST
QuotePM Modi, PM Hasina of Bangladesh jointly inaugurate two railway projects and a power link
QuoteRailway projects between India and Bangladesh to boost trade and connectivity
QuoteIndia to supply an additional 500MW power to Bangladesh, through the existing Bheramara-Baharampur interconnection
QuoteEnhanced cooperation between India and Bangladesh augurs well for our peoples as well as progress of both countries: PM Modi

Your Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh,

Foreign Minister of India and Bangladesh,

Ms. Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal,

Shri Biplab Kumar Deb, Chief Minister of Tripura,

A few days ago, I met Sheikh Hasinaji at the BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu. Before that, we also met at Shantiniketan in May and in London during the Commonwealth Summit in April.

I am glad that today once again I have got the opportunity to interact with you through this video conference.

I have stressed upon the fact several times before that the relationship with the neighboring countries must be like that of close neighbors. We may talk or visit one another whenever we feel like. We must not be tied to protocols for these things.

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I can clearly see this intimacy in the relationship with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinaji. Apart from the several meetings, this is our fourth video conference and one more video conference will be organized in the near future.

The most important thing about these video conferences is that the inaugurations of the joint projects of the two countries do not require VIP visits.

Excellency, whenever we talk of connectivity, I always feel like restoring your vision of connectivity prior to 1965. I am extremely delighted to say that we have been taking steps in this direction since the last few years.

Today we have enhanced our power connectivity and we have started two projects to deepen the railway connectivity.

When I visited Bangladesh in 2015, we decided to supply 500 megawatt of additional power to Bangladesh. Thus, the transmission link from Bangladesh is being used in West Bengal for this. I congratulate the Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee for supporting this work.

With the completion of this project, 1.16 gigawatts power is being supplied to Bangladesh from India. I believe that this quantum leap to gigawatt from megawatt is a symbol of the golden chapter of our relationships.

Our connectivity is also improving in the field of railways. The key aspects of our cooperation include internal connectivity of Bangladesh and connectivity with India.

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Once the connectivity of Akhaura-Agartala is completed, another link will be added to our cross-border connectivity. I congratulate Chief Minister Mr. Biplab Kumar Deb for his cooperation in this project.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinaji has set ambitious targets for the development of Bangladesh i.e. becoming a Middle Income country by 2021 and a developed country by 2041. It a matter of great pride for us to support and help them to realize this vision.

I have complete faith that as we enhance our relations and strengthen relationships between people, we will touch new heights of growth and prosperity.

I express my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Tripura for supporting this work and attending today's programme.

Thank you.

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May 13, 2025
QuotePM lauds recent innovations in India’s TB Elimination Strategy which enable shorter treatment, faster diagnosis and better nutrition for TB patients
QuotePM calls for strengthening Jan Bhagidari to drive a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach towards eliminating TB
QuotePM underscores the importance of cleanliness for TB elimination
QuotePM reviews the recently concluded 100-Day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and says that it can be accelerated and scaled across the country

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired a high-level review meeting on the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi earlier today.

Lauding the significant progress made in early detection and treatment of TB patients in 2024, Prime Minister called for scaling up successful strategies nationwide, reaffirming India’s commitment to eliminate TB from India.

Prime Minister reviewed the recently concluded 100-Day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan covering high-focus districts wherein 12.97 crore vulnerable individuals were screened; 7.19 lakh TB cases detected, including 2.85 lakh asymptomatic TB cases. Over 1 lakh new Ni-kshay Mitras joined the effort during the campaign, which has been a model for Jan Bhagidari that can be accelerated and scaled across the country to drive a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

Prime Minister stressed the need to analyse the trends of TB patients based on urban or rural areas and also based on their occupations. This will help identify groups that need early testing and treatment, especially workers in construction, mining, textile mills, and similar fields. As technology in healthcare improves, Nikshay Mitras (supporters of TB patients) should be encouraged to use technology to connect with TB patients. They can help patients understand the disease and its treatment using interactive and easy-to-use technology.

Prime Minister said that since TB is now curable with regular treatment, there should be less fear and more awareness among the public.

Prime Minister highlighted the importance of cleanliness through Jan Bhagidari as a key step in eliminating TB. He urged efforts to personally reach out to each patient to ensure they get proper treatment.

During the meeting, Prime Minister noted the encouraging findings of the WHO Global TB Report 2024, which affirmed an 18% reduction in TB incidence (from 237 to 195 per lakh population between 2015 and 2023), which is double the global pace; 21% decline in TB mortality (from 28 to 22 per lakh population) and 85% treatment coverage, reflecting the programme’s growing reach and effectiveness.

Prime Minister reviewed key infrastructure enhancements, including expansion of the TB diagnostic network to 8,540 NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing) labs and 87 culture & drug susceptibility labs; over 26,700 X-ray units, including 500 AI-enabled handheld X-ray devices, with another 1,000 in the pipeline. The decentralization of all TB services including free screening, diagnosis, treatment and nutrition support at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs was also highlighted.

Prime Minister was apprised of introduction of several new initiatives such as AI driven hand-held X-rays for screening, shorter treatment regimen for drug resistant TB, newer indigenous molecular diagnostics, nutrition interventions and screening & early detection in congregate settings like mines, tea garden, construction sites, urban slums, etc. including nutrition initiatives; Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana DBT payments to 1.28 crore TB patients since 2018 and enhancement of the incentive to ₹1,000 in 2024. Under Ni-kshay Mitra Initiative, 29.4 lakh food baskets have been distributed by 2.55 lakh Ni-kshay Mitras.

The meeting was attended by Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Principal Secretary to PM Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary-2 to PM Shri Shaktikanta Das, Adviser to PM Shri Amit Khare, Health Secretary and other senior officials.