India, Bhutan ties enter stronger phase across sectors: Report
New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) Grounded in the historic spirit of the 1949 and 2007 Friendship Treaties, the India-Bhutan bilateral relationship has quietly moved past traditional donor-recipient dynamics into an agile, forward-looking strategic partnership. Over the past year, bilateral cooperation has accelerated across four major sectors — economic planning, energy transitions, regional connectivity, and knowledge sharing, according to an article in India Narrative.
The article highlights that India’s development partnership with Bhutan has moved from ad‑hoc projects to a tightly aligned, plan‑based framework. The fifth India–Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks concluded with a comprehensive review of India’s INR 10,000 crore (Nu 100 billion) commitment to support Bhutan’s 13th Five‑Year Plan (2024–29).
Within this package, Nu 6,860 crore is earmarked for 82 high‑priority Project Tied Assistance schemes that focus on healthcare, urban infrastructure and disaster resilience, while the remainder includes direct budgetary support for Bhutan’s Economic Stimulus Programme.
This structure ensures that Indian assistance is not imposed from outside but is embedded in Bhutan’s own national planning cycle, enhancing local ownership and impact, said the report.
Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, in his congratulatory message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 80th Independence Day, described India as “a steadfast partner and elder brother”. In response, PM Modi reaffirmed that New Delhi deeply cherishes its enduring ties with Thimphu, emphasising an unyielding commitment to Bhutan’s sovereignty, prosperity, and gross national happiness, the article states.
It underscores the importance of India’s JSW Energy forming a joint venture with Bhutan’s Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) to develop the 920 MW Punatsangchhu-III Hydroelectric Project in Wangdue Phodrang. Under this 51:49 joint venture, with DGPC holding the majority stake, the two companies will work together to build and operate one of Bhutan’s largest hydropower schemes.
It also highlights that the Umbrella Line of Credit Agreement worth Rs 4,000 crore between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Export-Import Bank of India has been operationalised to fund upcoming renewable energy projects. India and Bhutan are steadily turning their shared border from a line on the map into a living corridor of trade, travel and digital connectivity.
At the same time, trading corridors are being widened and diversified. A new, dedicated land‑customs route linking Samrang in south‑eastern Bhutan with Assam’s Udalguri district is opening up an additional artery for the movement of agricultural produce, heavy industrial materials and everyday commodities. It will reduce bottlenecks, provide traders an alternative option when one route is disrupted, and strengthen the economic integration of Bhutan’s southern districts with India’s Northeast, the article observes.
Connectivity is also going digital. The first International Postal Cooperation initiative in Guwahati has formalised closer ties between India Post and Bhutan Post, integrating the Universal Postal Union’s ‘PosTransfer’ system with India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
Rail connectivity is also emerging as the next frontier in this deepening partnership. While Bhutan itself does not yet have a domestic railway network, India is extending rail links right up to key border logistics hubs to smooth the last‑mile connection for Bhutanese cargo, the article added.
–IANS
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