Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked people to refrain from "unnecessary criticism" of HSC and equivalent results that were published without holding exams.

She said the "futile" discussion will only put further pressure on the students, who are already affected due to the closure of educational institutions for a long time.

"The negative comments regarding the results will create psychological pressure on the students. I request those making such comments to stop (doing it)," she said while announcing the results of HSC and equivalent exams of 2020.

The results were officially announced at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka's Segunbagicha while Prime Minister Hasina joined through a video conference from Gono Bhaban.

Since no exam was held amid the coronavirus pandemic, the HSC results were based on the students' Junior School Certificate (JSC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) results. The results were published after coordinating 75 percent from SSC and 25 percent from JSC-JDC results.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Dhaka today on a two-day official visit to take part in the golden jubilee celebration of Bangladesh's independence and Mujib Borsho – birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina welcomed the Indian premier at the VVIP terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 11:00am this morning.

Red carpet was rolled out to welcome the Indian PM while he was given guard of honour.

Earlier in the morning, Narendra Modi left New Delhi for Dhaka on a special flight.

"PM @narendramodi emplanes for Dhaka. During his Bangladesh visit he will take part in a wide range of programmes aimed at furthering cooperation with our friendly neighbour," the India PMO tweeted, sharing a picture of Modi boarding the aircraft, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Modi yesterday said he will hold substantive discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during the visit and expressed happiness that his first foreign tour after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic will be to a friendly neighbouring country with which India shares deep ties.

"The first visit by the PM since pandemic outbreak highlights the priority India attaches to Bangladesh," said the Indian External Affairs Ministry in a tweet.

"Our partnership with Bangladesh is an important pillar of our Neighbourhood First Policy, and we are committed to further deepen and diversify it. We will continue to support Bangladesh's remarkable development journey, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's dynamic leadership," Modi tweeted last night, ahead of his Dhaka visit.

The Indian PM will pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar today, and then visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 in the capital to pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

In the afternoon, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will call on the Indian premier at Hotel Sonargaon.

Modi will also deliver a speech at celebrations at the National Parade Square this afternoon.

In the evening, PM Hasina and her Indian counterpart will visit Bapu-Bangabandhu Digital Museum at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

Tomorrow, Modi will visit Bangabandhu's mausoleum in Gopalganj's Tungipara and visit two temples -- Jashoreshwari Kali Temple in Shyamnagar of Satkhira and the other at Gopalganj's Orakandi, the birthplace of Harichand Thakur, the founder of the Matua community.

In the afternoon, the two premiers will hold a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, according to the schedule of Narendra Modi's visit.

They will also inaugurate two commemorative stamps, marking the 50 years of diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and India.

The two prime ministers will also inaugurate projects, including Bapu-Bangabandhu Digital Museum, Swadhinata Sarak- a road connecting India from Mujibnagar in Meherpur, and a passenger train on Chilahati-Haldibari rail route.

Indian PM Modi will hand over 109 ambulances and 12 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine as gifts to Bangladesh.

Modi will also call on President Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban before flying back to India tomorrow evening.

Minister Momen said some MoUs will also be signed during the meeting, but he did not disclose the details.

Bangladesh and India signed seven memorandum of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in seven sectors during a virtual summit today.

The seven MoUs include framework agreement on high impact community development projects; cooperation in the field of agricultural, protocol on trans-boundary elephant conservation; supply of equipment and improvement of garbage/solid waste disposal ground in Barishal City Corporation; cooperation between Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Museum, Dhaka and museum in New Delhi; terms of reference of India-Bangladesh CEOs Forum; and framework understanding on cooperation in Hydrocarbon sector.

The virtual summit between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian PM Narendra Modi began around 11:30am.

Hasina and her counterpart Modi delivered their opening remarks.

The meeting will continue until 1:00pm today.

Following that, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will hold a press conference at the State Guesthouse Padma in Dhaka at 2:30pm.

They launched a postal stamp marking the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and inaugurated Bangabandhu-Bapu Digital Museum, which highlights the lives and activities of the founders of Bangladesh and India.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address the nation this evening, marking the second anniversary of her current government formed through the December 30, 2018 general election.

Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television will simultaneously broadcast the prime minister's address from 7:30pm, said PM's Speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam.

Sheikh Hasina formed the government for the third consecutive term following her party Awami League's landslide victory in the 11th parliamentary election.

The new cabinet was formed on January 7, 2019.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said the government will take harsh steps if health guidelines are not followed and social distancing is not maintained in public transport during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

"If people do not follow health guidelines and maintain social distancing, the country's coronavirus situation will deteriorate...the government may take harsh decisions again considering public interest," he said.

Quader, also the Awami League general secretary, came up with the warning while talking to officials of the bridges division through a videoconference from his official residence.

He urged transport owners and workers to abide by the government's rules and "set a humanitarian example".

The transport minister said the government has adjusted the fares of public transport so that the vehicles can run following the health guidelines and keep 50 percent seats vacant to help prevent coronavirus transmission.

The movement of public transport began today, he said, urging the law enforcement agencies, vigilance teams, mobile courts and bus terminal authorities to strictly monitor the sector.

Stressing the need for paying the salaries and arrears of the workers of the bridge division's projects, he instructed the project chiefs to ensure guidelines for project workers.

Bridges Division secretary Mohammed Belayet Hossain and senior officials of the division were present during the conference.