India committed to continuing unstinted support to Bhutan's development efforts: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described India as a "privileged and leading partner of Bhutan", and added that New Delhi is committed to continuing its unstinted support for Bhutan's socio-economic development.

In a statement released ahead of his two-day official visit to Bhutan, his first as the head of government, Modi said: "We rejoice in Bhutan's remarkable economic growth and its progress and prosperity."

"We are committed to continuing our unstinted support to Bhutan in its development efforts. I will review with the Bhutanese leadership our development cooperation programme to make it even more effective and responsive to the changing aspirations of the people of Bhutan. I will also inaugurate one of our assistance projects during this visit, i.e., the building of the Supreme Court of Bhutan," he added.

The Prime Minister described India's hydropower cooperation with Bhutan as a classic example of win-win cooperation and a model for the entire region.

"During the visit, we will lay the foundation stone of the 600 MW Kholongchu Hydropower Project," Modi said.

The Prime Minister also described people-to-people contact as an important aspect of Indo-Bhutanese bilateral relations.

"I intend to discuss with the Bhutanese leadership how to further strengthen these contacts between our countries, particularly among the youth. In this regard, the role of educational links will be very important," he said.