Bhutan

PM Modi meets Bhutan's former king, praises his efforts for bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met with Bhutan's former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck and said he appreciated his extensive efforts over the years towards further cementing ties between the two South Asian neighbours. Had a wonderful meeting with His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. Appreciated his extensive efforts over the years towards further cementing India-Bhutan ties, Modi said in a social media post. During the meeting, they discussed cooperation in energy, trade, technology and connectivity. Lauded the progress in the Gelephu Mindfulness City Project, which aligns with our Act East Policy, Modi added. Modi also thanked His Majesty for his wise counsel and guidance in further enhancing the special India-Bhutan friendship, the Ministry of External Affairs said. The prime minister conveyed best wishes of the government and people of India for the former king's continued good health, well-being and a long life, the ministry added. Modi, who is on a two-day visit to t

PM Narendra Modi promises timely completion of India-Bhutan railway links

During his Bhutan visit, PM Modi announced a Rs 4,000-crore credit line for Thimphu's energy sector and promised timely completion of two India-Bhutan rail links approved in September

PM Modi, Bhutan King hold talks on energy, defence, connectivity projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on Tuesday held wide-ranging talks during which they discussed cooperation in sectors such as energy, capacity building, connectivity, technology, defence and security. After the delegation-level talks, the two leaders jointly inaugurated the 1020 Punatsangchhu-II hydroelectric project, developed jointly by India and Bhutan. "Had a very good meeting with His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan. We covered the full range of India-Bhutan relations," Modi said in a post on social media. "We discussed cooperation in sectors like energy, capacity building, connectivity, technology, defence and security. India is proud to be a key partner in Bhutan's development journey," he added. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Bhutan on Tuesday for a two-day visit. The ties between India and Bhutan have been on an upswing. In September, India unveiled its plan to build two cross-border train links wi

PM Modi in Bhutan to attend Fourth King's 70th birthday, peace festival

PM Modi also mentioned that the visit would mark a major milestone in the India-Bhutan energy partnership with the inauguration of the Punatsangchhu-II hydropower project

CM Mamata seeks compensation from Bhutan for floods in north Bengal

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that water flowing down from adjoining Bhutan caused floods in north Bengal and sought compensation from the Himalayan kingdom. The chief minister, who is visiting the natural disaster-hit region to oversee relief and rehabilitation work, said at Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district that the losses occurred owing to rainwater flowing down from Bhutan through various rivers. "We have faced losses due to water coming down from Bhutan... We want them to give us compensation," Banerjee said in a short address during a government programme. Maintaining that the state government has to arrange all relief and rehabilitation, she claimed that the Centre does not pay for it. Maintaining that her government has long been demanding formation of an Indo-Bhutan River Commission in which West Bengal should be made a member, Banerjee said a meeting is likely to be held on October 16 on the issue where the state will send an officer as the representativ

Bhutan hit by earthquake of magnitude 3.1 following earlier tremors

Geo-physically, Bhutan is located in the young Himalayan Mountains and considered to be one of the most seismically active zones in the world, the Asian Disaster Reduction Centre stated

India's UPI expansion continues: Qatar latest to adopt, check full list

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal attended the launch of UPI in Doha, Qatar, marking another step in India's growing digital payments expansion abroad

Govt lifts export ban on de-oiled rice bran to support cattle feed industry

The government on Friday announced the lifting of the export ban on de-oiled rice bran, used in the cattle feed industry. Edible oil industry body SEA had earlier urged the government to lift the ban on exports to protect domestic processors and enhance farmers' income. "The export policy of de-oiled rice bran is hereby amended from prohibited to free with immediate effect," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. The ban was imposed last year. In a separate notification, the DGFT said exports of agricultural commodities like dairy goods, onions, potatoes, certain vegetables, rice, and wheat, to Bhutan are exempted from applicable restrictions and prohibitions, with immediate effect and until further orders. Bhutan is India's friendly neighbour. These exemptions are also on other commodities, including tea, soybean oil, groundnut oil, palm oil, animal, vegetable fats and oils, Cane or beet sugar, and salt. In another notification, the DGFT said th

India-Bhutan rail link: All about the project & why it matters | Kokrajhar–Gelephu | Banarhat–Samtse

India and Bhutan will soon be connected by rail for the very first time. The move is set to strengthen trade, tourism, and people-to-people ties between the two countries.

India, Bhutan to establish first rail link with ₹4,033 cr outlay over 3 yrs

India and Bhutan will build Rs 4,033 crore rail links from Gelephu and Samtse within three years, connecting to Indian Railways to strengthen trade, cargo and passenger movement

India-Bhutan to build ₹4,033 cr cross-border rail links: Foreign Secretary

The two nations agreed to establish two cross-border rail links between Banarhat and Samtse and Kokrajhar and Gelephu, marking the first set of rail connectivity projects with Bhutan

₹6,000-cr hydropower deal lifts Adani Power stock 6% today; details here

Adani Power's share price was trading 4.6 per cent higher at ₹637.8 per share compared to previous session's close of ₹609.7 on the NSE

Adani Power, Druk Green to build 570 MW hydroelectric project in Bhutan

The ₹6,000 crore Wangchhu project, for which agreements were signed today, will meet Bhutan's winter energy demand, with the surplus exported to India in the summer

Nepal, Bhutan citizens do not require passport, visa to enter India: MHA

The citizens of Nepal and Bhutan as well as Indians entering India by land or air from the two neighbouring countries will not be required to furnish a passport or visa, as earlier. The members of the naval, military or air forces of India entering or exiting India on duty and the family members of any such person, when accompanying such a person on a government transport, will also not be required to carry a passport or visa, according to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) following the enforcement of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. The requirement of a valid passport or other valid travel documents and a valid visa for entry into, stay in and exit from India shall not apply if "a citizen of India entering into India by land or by air over the Nepalese or Bhutanese frontier, a citizen of Nepal or Bhutan entering into India by land or air over the Nepal or Bhutan border or if he possesses a valid passport while entering or exiting India from or to a place

China constructing dam on Brahmaputra not immediate concern, says Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday tried to alleviate fears on China's move to construct the world's largest dam on Brahmaputra and said he does not foresee any immediate cause of worry as the river gets most of its waters from Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Sarma said the exact impact of the massive dam, the construction of which began last week, is not properly known as different theories are being floated, and hoped that the Centre must be in touch with China on the matter. China on Saturday formally started the construction of a USD 167.8 billion dam over the Brahmaputra River in Tibet, close to the border with India in Arunachal Pradesh. "I am not immediately worried because Brahmaputra is a mighty river and it is not dependent on a single source (of water)," Sarma told reporters here. When asked about the possible downstream impact of the dam on Assam, he said it is not yet known whether it will be good

Reliance Power to build Bhutan's largest solar project in ₹2,000 cr JV

Reliance Power and Bhutan's Druk Holding to jointly develop a 500 MW solar plant in a ₹2,000 cr BOO-model venture, marking the biggest private FDI in Bhutan's solar sector

India, Bhutan enjoy exemplary ties of friendship, cooperation: MEA

India and Bhutan enjoy "exemplary ties" of friendship and cooperation, based on trust, goodwill and mutual understanding at all levels, and the visit of Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries, the MEA said on Saturday. Tobgay paid an official visit to India from February 20 to February 21 to participate in the inaugural leadership conclave of the School of Ultimate Leadership (SOUL), which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the visit, Tobgay had a meeting with Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and other senior officials of the government of India called on the prime minister of Bhutan during his visit, it ...

Bhutan PM calls Modi his 'mentor', seeks guidance for public service reform

Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on Friday described his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi as his "elder brother" and "mentor" and sought his guidance to help him contribute to transformation of public service in the neighbouring country. In his keynote address at the School of Ultimate Leadership (SOUL) conclave here, Tobgay made liberal use of Hindi that drew multiple applause from the audience. "Without a doubt, I see an image of an elder brother in you, who always guides me and helps me ('Nisandeh, aap mei ek bade bhai ki chhavi dekhta hun, jo sadaiv mera margdarshan karte hain, aur mujhe sahayta dete hain')," he said. Tshering termed the SOUL initiative a "brainchild of Modi", adding, it is yet another testament to his unwavering commitment to nurturing authentic leaders and empowering them to serve the great republic of India. In his address, the Bhutanese prime minister humbly submitted that he had come to attend the event to not offer any leadership lessons but to ..

King of Bhutan takes dip at Triveni Sangam in Maha Kumbh Mela 2025

King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck took holy dip at Triveni Sangam at Maha Kumbh on Tuesday. He also participated in rituals performed here with Uttar pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.

Special prayers for Manmohan Singh held across Bhutan, King attends funeral

Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on Saturday attended the funeral of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, a day after leading the Himalayan nation in offering prayers for the Indian leader at a Buddhist monastery in Thimphu. Separate prayer ceremonies were held for the former Indian prime minister at all 20 Dzongkhags or districts of Bhutan, according to the Bhutan government. As a mark of respect to Singh, Bhutan's national flag was flown at half-mast across the country and at its embassies, and consulates abroad, according to the Royal Bhutan government. A thousand butter lamps were lit at the ceremony held in Thimphu's Kuenrey of Tashichhodzong that was led by the King. The prayer was attended by Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Indian ambassador Sudhakar Dalela, several members of the Royal family and senior officials of the Bhutanese government. "As a mark of respect to the late former prime minister and in solidarity with the government and people of India, all .