Thaindian News

Agartala, Sep 11 (IANS) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit Tripura later this year and will be conferred an honorary doctorate by a university, an official said here Sunday.

“Sheikh Hasina has already given her consent to attend the Tripura University (Central) convocation and to receive the honorary D.Litt,” university vice chancellor Arunoday Saha told IANS.

Besides Saha, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Governor D.Y.Patil have separately visited Dhaka and invited Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina to visit the northeastern state.

Sarkar, along with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Lal Thanhawla of Mizoram and Mukul Sangma of Meghalaya accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his two-day Bangladesh tour (Sep 6-7).

“Hasina is keen to visit Tripura. Now the Tripura University in consultation with the Indian and Bangladesh governments would finalise the schedule,” Sarkar told reporters.

“Hasina’s visit to Tripura would also boost trade and economic relations between the northeast region of India and India’s closest neighbour Bangladesh,” Sarkar said.

“On behalf of Tripura, a huge ceremonial reception would be given to the Bangladesh premier during the visit,” he added.

A senior official, on condition of anonymity, said that Hasina was expected to visit Tripura either in late November or early December. This will be the first visit of any Bangladeshi prime minister to northeast India.

Arunoday Saha said that Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Rajeet Mitter on behalf of the government of India and Tripura University has been in touch with Bangladesh government to finalise Hasina’s schedule.

Hasina will attend the Tripura University’s 9th convocation at which Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also expected to be present.

“This is for the first time that the Tripura University would confer the honorary D.Litt to any person after the university was set up in 1987,” vice-chancellor said.