Indian CMs assure airing Dhaka channels
Chief ministers of four Indian states assured Bangladesh of taking steps to enable Bangladesh satellite television channels to telecast their programmes in India.
Currently, the Bangladeshi television channels require permission from authorities to telecast in India.
"I've told them that the programmes aired by our private television channels can easily be down linked in India," said Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad.
"The chief ministers have assured me of taking steps in this regard so that people of their states can see the programmes aired by Bangladeshi television channels," said Abul Kalam after a meeting with some senior cabinet ministers and the four visiting Indian state chief ministers.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith moderated the meeting held in the city's Sonargaon Hotel on the sidelines of the official talks between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Mizoram Chief Minister PU Lalthanhawla, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the finance minister observed that Bangladesh would get the benefit of India's economic strength by enhancing regional connectivity, said State Minister for Forests and Environment Dr Hasan Mahmud.
India, the fourth largest economy in the world, is the second largest business partner of Bangladesh.
Manik Sarkar presented a statistic showing that Bangladesh would be more beneficial from the transit than India.
State Minister for Home Affairs of Bangladesh Shamsul Haq Tuku told the journalists that he drew attention of the chief ministers to help stop killing of innocent people in cross-border areas.
"They have agreed to play an active role to maintain peace in border areas of both the countries," he said.
The two sides discussed about offering package tours by the tour operators of the two countries with building partnership at the public and private levels to promote bilateral tourism.
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