Agartala, Dec 21 (IANS): Tripura University will confer an honorary doctorate on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her maiden visit to this northeastern Indian State on January 12, a top official said here today.
"Sheikh Hasina and Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari have already given their consent to attend the Tripura Central University's ninth convocation on January 12," Vice Chancellor Arunoday Saha told IANS. He said: "Hasina has agreed to receive the honorary Doctor of Literature (honoris causa) and it would be conferred on her at the convocation."
Besides Saha, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Governor DY Patil have separately visited Dhaka and invited Hasina to visit the northeastern state which shares boder with Bangladesh.
Sarkar, along with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Mizoram's Lal Thanhawla and Meghalaya's Mukul Sangma accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his September 6-7 Bangladesh official visit.
"Hasina is keen to visit Tripura. Now the Tripura University in consultation with the Indian and Bangladesh governments is giving final touches to the schedule of Hasina's visit," Sarkar told reporters. "Hasina's visit to Tripura would also boost trade and economic relations between the northeast region of India and neighbour Bangladesh," Sarkar said. "On behalf of Tripura, huge ceremonial reception would be given to the Bangladesh premier and the Indian vice president during their visit," he added.
A senior official said that Hasina was expected to hold a high-level meeting with Tripura Chief Minister and other top Indian officials in Agartala to finalise strategies to boost trade between Bangladesh and India's northeastern States. This will be the first visit of any Bangladeshi Prime Minister to northeast India.
Hasina, according to the official, will stay here on January 12 and leave for Dhaka the next day.
During the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war, over 1,600,000 Bangladeshi nationals had taken shelter in Tripura alone. Bangladeshi freedom fighters, "Mukti Bahini", had set up more than 16 base and training camps in various parts of Tripura to fight the Pakistani forces. "Hasina may visit one or two spots of these base and training camps in Tripura," the official said.
Saha said: "This is for the first time that the Tripura University would confer the honorary D.Litt on any person after the university was set up in 1987."
