Modi to visit Bhutan later this month

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to neighbouring Bhutan later this month in his first foreign visit after assuming power.

Modi will be travelling to Bhutan and will hold talks on key bilateral and regional issues with the leadership of the Himalayan nation, senior government sources said.

The visit reflects the importance India attaches to its ties with Bhutan whose Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was among the leaders from the neighbouring countries to attend Modi's swearing-in on May 26.

After the swearing-in, Modi had held a short duration bilateral meeting with the Bhutanese leader.

Modi is also likely to travel to Brazil to participate in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in mid July.

In another development, prime minister Modi's mother Hiraben on Thursday received a white sari as gift from Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif, who visited Delhi last month.

Hiraben, who stays with Modi's younger brother Pankaj here, showed to the media a green box, which contained the gift, marked with Pakistan's emblem and "Mother of the Prime Minister of India" written on it.

She opened the box and showed the message inside: "With the compliments of Prime Minister of Pakistan." While opening the box, Hiraben kept smiling and looked at the sari.

She did not speak to the media but apparently expressed her gratitude by folding hands.

Responding to Sharif's gesture, Modi expressed his gratitude on Twitter. "Nawaz Sharif ji has sent a wonderful white sari for my mother."