This comes on the same day as the historic Dhaka-Kolkata train service had its first trial run, which the government called a 'symbolic reflection of improving relations between the two countries'.

"We have not received any information from the Indian government on the matter," said Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain at a press briefing yesterday.

He, however, said the commerce and fisheries ministries are reviewing the government ban on hilsa export to India.

Indian media reports during the past two days have said India may suspend exporting rice following Bangladesh's decision to ban hilsa export.

Meanwhile, Foreign Adviser Iftekhar A Chowdhury said Bangladesh could reduce its dependency on foreign aid, achieve double-digit economic growth and cut poverty by half earlier than 2015, if global markets were opened up for Bangladeshi exports, especially readymade garments.

"If we could maintain the current pace of development, political stability and international assistance, then our dependence on foreign aid will also come down," he added.

At a foreign ministry press briefing upon his return from the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) foreign ministers' meeting in Geneva, Iftekhar said Bangladesh has a comparative advantage in producing readymade garments and the more affluent countries should encourage it.

He stressed the need for the World Trade Organisation and similar groups to push for comparative advantage of developing countries to turn into a competitive advantage in the global market.

"We made it clear that if Bangladesh is not given preferential market access, many of our garment workers, mostly women, will lose their jobs," he said, adding, "I also stressed the need for reducing exploitation by middlemen and ensuring fair price for our farmers. This is critically important if we are to reduce poverty in the rural economy."

Iftekhar said he asked WTO Director General Pascal Lamy to support the provision of free-market access for Bangladeshi RMG to big markets like Europe and North America and Lamy assured Bangladesh of his support.

Dhaka asks the international community to take a tougher stance on global warming as it is expected to disproportionately harm Bangladesh, Iftekhar said.

"I raised the concerns for climate change and how it can potentially derail our poverty-reduction efforts. I urged the international community to take our concerns seriously and mobilise resources to reduce the impact of global warming."

The foreign adviser led the Bangladesh delegation at the ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review in Geneva, where he presented a 110-page report showcasing Bangladesh's achievements in development efforts.