Bhutan's King Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck meets Indian leadership
New Delhi: Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck met with the
Indian leadership here on Tuesday. Wangchuck, who is on a weeklong visit to India,
held talks with President Pratibha Patil, Congress party President Sonia Gandhi
and Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj. India and Bhutan have also signed a dozen
pacts, which also include bilateral cooperation in defence and power. "The security
and defence co-operation was also discussed during the delegation level and bilateral
talks and we have extend cooperation from the government of Bhutan in respect
of the India Insurgents Groups in southern Bhutan," said Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Vishnu Prasad. India also agreed to set up a super-specialty hospital on the lines
of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences and to help Bhutan attain computer
literacy. India also inked four agreements on hydroelectric projects. India and
Bhutan share a historic friendship and India has been the forerunner in providing
assistance towards Bhutan's development. India will help Bhutan in setting up
ten projects by 2020 to generate 11,000 MW of hydroelectric power. Bhutan, with
a population under 700,000 people, is becoming an important source of hydroelectric
power for India. It sells power to India at a subsidised rate in return for financial
help in building hydroelectric plants. The new Bhutanese government is aiming
for annual economic growth of around nine percent over the next decade, and much
of this will come from Indian investment.
