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By PARVEEN AHMED, Associated Press Writer Sat Dec 1, 6:12 AM ET

DHAKA, Bangladesh – India waived a ban on rice exports to Bangladesh and offered to help rebuild 10 villages worst hit by a recent cyclone that devastated crops and property, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday during a visit to the country.

India has already pledged millions of dollars in aid for the cyclone-hit nation.

Mukherjee said India was willing to “adopt” 10 coastal villages for rehabilitation and would allow the sale of an additional 500,000 tons of rice to Bangladesh.

India imposed a ban on all rice exports to ensure domestic needs were fulfilled following crop damage caused by summer floods. But even before the cyclone, New Delhi eased that ban and agreed to sell 50,000 tons of rice to Bangladesh, which also suffered heavy crop losses in the regional floods.

“We will do whatever is needed — repair roads, dams, schools or electric lines in the 10 villages,” Mukherjee said, adding that it would be up to the Bangladesh government to select the villages.

Mukherjee arrived in Dhaka on an Indian Air Force aircraft carrying more than 36 tons of relief goods, including ready-to-eat meals, milk powder, medicine, water filters and blankets.

“I bring the solidarity of my country in your hour of need,” Mukherjee said. “Like always, we stand by Bangladesh in its efforts to rebuild the lives of those affected by the cyclone.”

Iftekhar Chowdhury, a Bangladesh government adviser on foreign affairs, thanked Mukherjee, saying, “We are very touched by the gesture.”

Mukherjee visited some of the worst-hit areas and met with Bangladeshi leaders during his daylong visit.

Relations between the neighbors, which share a 4,000-kilometer (2,500-mile) border, are often strained — mostly over illegal migration and accusations of harboring fugitives by both sides.

The official death toll from the cyclone, which hit Bangladesh Nov. 15, stands at 3,243. Another 1,180 people remain missing and 34,500 were injured, according to the Food and Disaster Management Ministry.

Last week, the government appealed to foreign donors for 500,000 tons of rice to prevent food shortages because the cyclone and two earlier floods destroyed crops that were almost ready for harvest.

On Saturday, the government began a special program to hand out rice to badly affected families. Under the plan, about 150,000 tons of rice will be distributed to nearly 2.6 million people over the next four months, the Press Information Department said.

Foreign assistance, including the airlifting of relief goods by the U.S. Navy, has helped government efforts to provide clean water, food, medicine, clothes and building materials to victims.