India starts the commercial supply of high speed diesel (HSD) to Bangladesh today with an inaugural consignment of 2,200 metric tonnes. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now in Delhi on a four-day state visit, and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi are going to inaugurate the commercial operation jointly.  

Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan made the declaration while talking to the visiting Bangladesh media delegation at a hotel in New Delhi yesterday morning.

India has planned to install a pipeline to carry HSD to Bangladesh, and a formal proposal on the friendship project is likely to be announced today during Hasina's meeting with Modi, diplomatic sources said.

Until the project is completed, HSD will be transported from Assam's Numaligarh Refinery to Bangladesh via rail and one such consignment will be flagged off by the two prime ministers today.

Talking about the current state of relations between Bangladesh and India, Pradhan said, "There is a holistic cooperation between the two countries and our relations are moving towards a new era.”

He said after Modi's Dhaka visit in 2015, the two countries were enjoying very “engaging” relations with very high mutual trust.

Pradhan also said the visit of Hasina would take the relations between the two nations to a new era with broad cooperation.

Responding to a query, he ruled out any gap between the two countries and said, “Our relationship is getting stronger day by day benefiting people of the two countries.”

Replying to a question on Teesta water sharing deal, he said Teesta was an important issue, but in Indian system, there were certain areas where they needed to take the state concerned in finding solution. 

Asked about joint exploration in the Bay of Bengal, the minister said they were already doing some exploration activities in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh played a very important role in various issues for India, he added.