Trade relation with Bangladesh improving: Pranab

Petrapole (West Bengal): Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said that trade relation with Bangladesh is improving and India will take steps to correct the imbalance.

"The overall relation, including trade, is improving with Bangladesh and there is a need to improve trade relations more as India exports more than it imports from that country," Mukherjee said at the inauguration of a car pass project between India and Bangladesh at this land customs station.

Mukherjee said that last November, India allowed a large number of items to enter from Bangladesh at zero duty.

He said this step would correct, to some extent, trade imbalance between India and Bangladesh.

The Finance minister said that both the countries enjoy same cultural heritage and national poets are also the same.

All these would lead to a healthy relationship between the two countries, he added.

Bangladesh Finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said that the Sheikh Hasina government had been always engaged in improving ties with India.

"We are also getting reciprocal gesture from India," he said.

About the car pass project, by virtue of which trucks from both the countries can enter respective areas, he said it would facilitate India and Bangladesh.