Hyderabad: Bangladesh Information Minister Mahmud Hasan, who is on a visit to India, on Thursday said that eastern Indian states can make use of Bangladeshi ports, and doing so would be to the benefit of both nations.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Hasan spoke about his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, films, and new media.
'Eastern Indian states can look towards Bangladeshi ports'
Talking about his meetings with PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar, Hasan said that a wide range of issues were discussed, with special focus on connectivity, trade, and cultural exchanges.
"India is the immediate and most important neighbour of Bangladesh," he said.
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Hasan said he particularly discussed about connectivity with Indian leaders, and stated that the ports of Bangladesh can be used by the eastern Indian states like Assam and Tripura, adding that doing so would benefit both the nations.
India, Bangladesh to co-produce film on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
India and Bangladesh had on January 14 inked an MoU for co-production of a film on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to be directed by eminent filmmaker Shyam Benegal, that will be released as part of birth centenary celebrations of the Bangladesh founder.
"India has the biggest film industry and Indian movies are screened all over the world, even China," he said.
"We want to develop the film industry in Bangladesh, and are in the process of establishing the Bangabandhu film city near Dhaka. We want to get help from India and hence, I have come to Ramoji Film City, the biggest in the world."
'New Media is the reality of the world today'
Talking about the splurge in digital media, Hasan said that new media is the "reality of the world today."
"In Bangladesh, 11 years back, only six million people used to use the internet. Today, the number has grown to almost 11 crore," he said, adding that new media has opened up a new avenue for people to get information.
Hasan, however, stressed that a few digital media houses in Bangladesh were not responsible, and hence his government has started a registration process for all web portals.
He said the applications were being scrutinised with the help of intelligence agencies, and only responsible media outlets would eventually be given registration.
