Bangladesh Minister Begum Sadique hails finalisation of LBA with India

Bangladesh Minister of Public Administration Begum Ismat Ara Sadique called on Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Dr Jitendra Singh and hailed the government's initiative to finalise the Land Boundary Agreement with her country, which would enable the exchange of enclaves by the two sides.

Referring to the traditional ties between the two nations, Dr Singh said it was a matter of great satisfaction that in recent times, the bilateral relations had grown further at all levels and today, India is also making a huge contribution by way of offering training to Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) officers.

He said that as a part of this initiative, over 500 BCS officers and 40 Bangladesh police officers have already received training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie and the target is to train 1500 BCS officers over a period of three years.

The minister further said that the process of training of Bangladesh officers in Indian academies not only helps in sharing healthy inputs on good governance but also helps the Bangladesh administrators and civil servants to develop a healthy mindset towards India and its people. In addition, 40 police officers from Bangladesh have also received training so far and 35 Bangladesh scientists have successfully finished a course in civil nuclear sector in India.

Dr Singh further noted that India has also offered courses to country officials in Bangladesh who belong to other departments and institutions like customs, railway, election commission and fire services.

Meanwhile, Begum Sadique thanked India for its generous and unlimited help in all these spheres and said, during her current India tour, she also had the opportunity to visit the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, where she was glad to see Civil Service Officers as well as Forest Service Officers from Bangladesh receiving training and seeking to improve their skills in governance.