Bhutan To Get Rs 900cr Loan

India has agreed to extend an assistance of Rs 900 crore to Bhutan for its 8th five-year plan between 1997 and 2002. Of this, Rs 400 crore will be provided in the form of development subsidy. Plan panel deputy chairman Madhu Dandavate, who is on a visit to Bhutan, and the chairman of the Bhutanese planning commission, Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji, signed an agreement to this effect yesterday. The funds will support, among others, three mega projects the Kurichu and Tala hydro-electric projects and the Dubngsum cement project. The commission will also conduct a mid-term assessment of these projects to determine further funding measures.