Indian finance minister hopes Indian investments in Bangladesh are safe

Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that while the unrest in Bangladesh has generated some uncertainty, the Indian government remains hopeful that their investments will remain safe and that Bangladesh will return to normalcy soon, says The Hindu.

"I would say at this stage, I have had discussions and calls coming on the matter of our textile garment investments which are in Bangladesh, many of which come from Tamil Nadu. The investments went there in good faith because they thought textiles and garments could do well and they did do well, having gone there," Sitharaman said.

These investments, the Minister said, also boosted exports from Bangladesh, including shipments to India, because of the duty-free and liberal import quotas India offers for lower income and least developed countries.

While the garments, fabrics and textiles sectors are seeing a "bit of uncertainty" because of the situation, the Minister said: "I hope that the investments are all safe... Other than that, at this stage, it is too early for me to see what kind of impact this situation in Bangladesh will have on our economy."

"I hope that the interim government will settle things sooner rather than later, so that both the people of Bangladesh and India can get back to normalcy," Sitharaman added.