TIL BDR GHALLEY | Thimphu
Bhutan and India have expanded cooperation across energy, connectivity, trade, education and development, with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar’s three-day visit producing new energy financing, infrastructure initiatives and measures to strengthen cross-border ties.
Dr Jaishankar concluded his September 16–18 official visit on Friday after receiving an audience with His Majesty The King, holding bilateral talks with Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister D.N. Dhungyel in Bumthang.
The two foreign ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, according to a joint press release issued after the talks.
Bhutan and India welcomed the signing of an agreement on a concessional Line of Credit of INR 4,000 crore for energy projects in Bhutan. The two sides also reviewed progress under the joint vision on energy partnership, signed in March 2024.
They recalled the recent inauguration of the 1,020MW Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project and the resumption of dam construction at the 1,200MW Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project.
Dr Jaishankar and Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel also laid the foundation stone for the 500kW Lunana Hydropower Project in Gasa.
The two sides welcomed the growing participation of Indian companies in Bhutan’s hydropower sector and noted progress in implementing the joint vision on energy partnership.
Connectivity was another key area of discussion, with both countries reviewing measures to improve the movement of people and goods across the border.
The two sides welcomed the operationalisation of the land customs station at Samrang in Assam and noted progress on the proposed Gelephu-Kokrajhar and Samtse-Banarhat cross-border railway links.
India also reaffirmed its commitment to establish an Immigration Check Post at Hatisar in Assam to facilitate the movement of investors and visitors to Gelephu.
The two countries agreed to continue discussions through the joint working group on Gelephu Mindfulness City, with India reaffirming its support for His Majesty The King’s vision for the project.
The proposed Hatisar facility will also serve as a temporary immigration point for third-country nationals attending the Project 108 Chortens and Stupas event on November 1.
The two sides continued talks on the renewal of the Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit, while Bhutan welcomed India’s recent notification allowing the export of 17 species of timber to India.
Bhutan also expressed appreciation for India’s continued supply of petrol, diesel and LPG despite disruptions to global supply chains.
The visit also brought a development with direct implications for people travelling between the two countries.
The second phase of international Unified Payments Interface (UPI) connectivity was launched, allowing Bhutanese nationals visiting India to make digital payments through participating Bhutanese mobile banking applications.
The facility complements the existing arrangement that allows Indian visitors to use UPI in Bhutan, marking the expansion of two-way digital payment connectivity between the two countries.
Dr Jaishankar and Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel jointly inaugurated the 65-bedded Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Mother and Child Hospital in Mongar and the Jaganathan Bridge on the Samdrup Jongkhar-Trashigang Highway.
India also handed over 54 electric vehicles to the Royal Government of Bhutan and transferred 43 pureline Jersey cows to the National Cattle Breeding Centre in Bumthang.
The number of Bhutanese seats under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarship programme will increase from 30 to 60, while seats under the Nalanda University Scholarship Scheme will rise from 30 to 55.
Bhutan and India also agreed to renew the Nehru-Wangchuck Scholarship Scheme for Bhutanese students pursuing higher education in India.
The two sides underscored the importance of educational, cultural and people-to-people exchanges and recognised the contributions of Indian teachers and nurses to Bhutan’s education and healthcare sectors.
The delegations also discussed cooperation in the space sector, including the use of satellite data for monitoring glaciers, forest resources, floods and agriculture.
On regional and international issues, India thanked Bhutan for its support for India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2028–29 term.
India also welcomed Bhutan’s ratification of the Framework Agreement of the International Big Cat Alliance.
During the visit, His Majesty The King and Dr Jaishankar attended a prayer ceremony at Tashichhodzong on September 17, where butter lamps were lit to mark the enduring friendship between Bhutan and India and the birthday of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dr Jaishankar concluded the visit by inviting Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel to visit India at his earliest convenience.
The visit brought together a wide range of bilateral priorities, from hydropower and trade to cross-border connectivity, digital payments, education, healthcare, livestock development and electric mobility, underscoring the breadth of Bhutan-India cooperation.
