Dhaka: Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Bangladesh, its President Pranab Mukherjee has approved the Bangladesh-India Land Boundary Agreement which India thinks will help it strengthen its ties with Bangladesh.

Pranab gave his assent to the Constitution (100th Amendment) Bill, 2015 on May 28 to ratify a 1974 agreement on the demarcation of a section of India-Bangladesh border and transfer of territories.

A notification has already been issued in this regard, reports Indian media quoting Parliament sources on Monday.

The 1974 pact was signed between former Bangladesh President Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.  

It was ratified by Bangladesh Parliament almost immediately. India ratified it only last month.

The sources pointed out that though it was a Constitutional amendment bill, its provisions do not require ratification by 50 percent of the legislatures in 29 states.

The bill paves the way for demarcating the border as well as an exchange of over 160 enclaves between the two countries.  

Bangladesh will receive 111 enclaves (17,160 acres) from India’s possession and India will receive 51 enclaves (7,110 acres) from Bangladesh. Enclaves are tiny landlocked territories that each country has within the borders of the other nation.  

Meanwhile, Bangladesh government has already finalised the texts of the agreements and MoUs that include trade agreement and coastal shipping agreements to be signed between the two countries during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.

There will be some ceremonial inauguration, flagging-off and handing over ceremonies during his 6-7 June visit, according to Foreign Ministry officials here.  

MoUs on Human Trafficking, Fake Currency Notes, MoU between Coast Guards of Bangladesh and India, ceremony of exchange of enclaves and signing of strip maps, trade agreement, opening of Assistant High Commissions of India in Khulna and Sylhet and Coastal Shipping Deal are among the 21 specific issues that Bangladesh has taken preparation for.