Jaitley to visit Dhaka on Oct 3, Sushma later the same month

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will visit Dhaka on October 3 on a three-day official visit, according to the government sources. Finance Minister of Bangladesh AMA Muhith has invited the Indian finance minister to discuss various issues, including the quick implementation of the $5 billion loan for development projects and defence-related procurements. During the last visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a $ 5 billion line of credit to Bangladesh. At present, Bangladesh is facing a huge Rohingya influx from neighbouring Myanmar.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday promised to Bangladesh Premiere Hasina that India would stand by Dhaka in this hour of crisis and would extend all kind of help.

India has already started a relief operation Insaniyat to help Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Jaitley would supposedly assess the situation and decide next course of releif to Dhaka. Jaitley is scheduled to deliver speeches in two different events at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon on October 3 and 4. He is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Finance Minister will leave Dhaka on October 5. This will be his first visit to Bangladesh since the Modi government came to power, after his previous official trip on July 2 was postponed.

Dhaka will receive two very high-level visit from India next month. After Finance minister's visit, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will undertake a bilateral visit to Bangladesh from october 22 for two days. This will be her second trip to Bangladesh after Modi Government came into power. Swaraj's visit will mark with a Joint consultative committee meeting which was institutionalised by the previous UPA government as a foreign office consultation process.

During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to India, India committed to give Bangladesh $5 billion LoC and a primary agreement was signed in that regard.

Of this $4.5billion will be given for various development projects, including economic zones, ports and road infrastructures, and river restoration. The two countries have already come up with 17 projects to be funded by the new credit. The remaining $500m will be made available for defence procurement.