Railway Board commissions survey to establish Mujnai-Nyoenpaling line

The Railway Board has commissioned a survey to establish the Mujnai - Nyoenpaling line that will provide a cross-border rail link between India and Bhutan, an official statement said on Friday.

Minister of Railways, and Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal is in Bhutan, heading a business delegation in connection with the Bhutan - India Start-Up Summit 2020.

The commerce ministry said a team from Indian Railways will visit the neighbouring country on Saturday to hold discussions with the State Mining Corporation of Bhutan on finalising an MoU for export of railway ballast from Bhutan to India.

The two sides also discussed designation and notification of new transit customs stations at Jogighopa, Pandu and Agartala.

An agreement on making the land customs station at Nagarkatta as a permanent customs station was also discussed.

Further, India will be fully sponsoring training of 100 Bhutanese trainers and youth on entrepreneurship at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

In light of the requirement of capacity building in packaging and branding, 30 Bhutanese entrepreneurs and start-ups will undergo hands-on training at the Indian Institute of Packaging.

It said that India will commission a feasibility study for setting up an Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Bhutan.

Prominent business personalities, think tanks and academics will ideate, debate and collaborate on the identified themes during Start-Up Summit in Bhutan on Saturday with an objective to forge stronger future business engagement across all sectors.

Goyal will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural session of the summit, and also inaugurate an exhibition of 30 start-ups from India and Bhutan together with the Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering.

The minister on Friday called on the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Thimphu, aside from a call-on the Prime Minister.

The business delegation from India was led by Vikram Kirloskar, President, CII.