Bhutan India development talks in Thimphu

India and Bhutan on Thursday (11 September) have agreed to speed up the implementation of the mutually agreed projects in Bhutan.

The agreement was reached during a meeting called in Thimphu to review the Indian assistance of IRs 45 billion for Bhutan’s 11th Five Year Plan, that began last year.

This third round of the Bhutan-India Development Cooperation Talks finalised a total of 84 PTA projects to be implemented under the 11th Five Year Plan, which includes the 48 projects which were approved during the current round of talks.

The two sides reviewed India’s assistance of Rs 45 billion to the 11th Plan, which includes Rs 8.5 billion for Programme Grant, Rs 8.5 billion for Small Development Projects (SDP) and Rs 28 billion for Project Tied Assistance (PTA).

The Bhutanese delegation to the meeting assured to exert every effort to ensure that all projects adhere to their projected timelines and the Indian side assured timely release of funds.

A joint statement issued after the talks said, “The talks were held in a very warm, friendly and constructive atmosphere reflecting the spirit of mutual trust, cooperation and understanding that underpins the India-Bhutan bilateral partnership.”

Indian delegation was led by Secretary, Economic Relations and Development Partnership Administration, Sujata Mehta and the Bhutanese delegation was headed by Foreign Secretary Yeshey Dorji.