India will provide support of ten thousand crore rupees to Bhutan over the next five years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this in Thimpu yesterday on the first day of his state visit to Bhutan. He assured Bhutan’s top leadership that India will stand by the Himalayan kingdom in its quest for development and that their unique bilateral ties would create avenues for greater cooperation in connectivity, infrastructure, trade and energy sectors. The two countries exchanged several MoUs and signed agreements in the fields of energy, trade, digital connectivity, space and agriculture, and finalised the MoU on the establishment of rail links between the two nations.
Informing about the Prime Minister’s economic aid to Bhutan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said, the assistance also includes India’s support to Bhutan’s economic stimulus package.
Mr Modi called on the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and held talks with Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on Friday. Mr Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart reviewed the entire gamut of India-Bhutan friendship and agreed to boost the developmental partnership as well as deepen cultural linkages. Mr Modi said the MoUs and agreements will add momentum to India-Bhutan relations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Mother and Child Hospital, a state-of-the-art hospital in Thimphu, built with the assistance of the Government of India. Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was also present on the occasion a short while ago.