Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his Bhutanese counterpart Aum Pema Choden co-chaired the 3rd India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks in Thimpu on Saturday. During the meeting, the Bhutanese side presented the Project Tied Assistance (PTA) proposals as well as the first tranche of the PTA projects to be implemented during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. In a statement, External Affairs Ministry said, the two sides approved a total of 61 projects amounting 4,958 crore rupees in various sectors. These projects are related to infrastructure, energy, skill development, education, health, cultural heritage, capacity building, sports, youth exchanges, digital economy, and space technology. Besides, India and Bhutan also held wide-ranging discussions on all aspects of bilateral cooperation including development partnership, energy, trade and investment.
During the State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bhutan in March this year, Mr Modi had announced Government of India’s development support of 10,000 crore rupees for Bhutan’s 13th Five Year Plan period. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was on a two-day official visit to Bhutan which concluded today. This was his first visit abroad as Foreign Secretary.
