India renders $ 10 mn flood relief to Bangla

Dhaka, Sep 16: India today handed over a cheque of ten million dollars to Bangladesh to assist the ongoing flood relief and rehabilitation programmes.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier mentioned the donation in a letter to Bangladeshi Chief Advisor Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed.

High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pinak Ranjan Chakraborty handed over the cheque to Bangladeshi Foreign Advisor Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury at his office.

Talking to reporters, Mr Chakraborty said the shipment of food grains India earlier committed will arrive here this month. The food grains will include 40,000 metric tons of rice and 10,000 metric tons of wheat.

Dr Iftelhar Ahmed thanked the High Commissioner for India's good gesture towards Bangladeshi people and said bilateral relations between the two countries are stabilising through various activities of mutual interests.

He hoped the passenger train service between Joydevpur and Kolkata will start as soon as possible.

He said they will hold bilateral meeting as well as SAARC council of ministers meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN general assembly session beginning on September 24.

UNI