The Hindu Business Line : Ministry to host a round table for Bhutanese biz delegation

The Ministry of External Affairs is organising a Round Table meeting to the visiting Bhutanese business delegation to discuss Bhutanese private sector participation and collaboration with India on Tuesday here.

Official sources told Business Line here that the objective behind this round table as also a subsequent industry level summit in Gurgaon being hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on January 16 to 18 is to encourage the Bhutanese private sector to collaborate with Indian private sector for trade and investment and a greater integration of the Bhutanese economy with India.

The sources said the specific areas for collaboration with the visiting business delegation from Bhutan include hydroelectric power projects, education, information, communication and technology and agro-processing. The sources said a day-long seminar on Bhutan’s economy and investment opportunities for Indian industry on January 15 preceding the industry-interaction event would showcase Bhutan to the Indian industry as a potential destination for investment and would also expose the Bhutanese business to select Indian industry with which they can intensify ties.

The Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh, who is the keynote speaker at the MEA-sponsored round table, said that India is as of now importing 1400 MW of power from Bhutan which would be scaled up to 5,000 MW by 2020.

Three major hydro-electric projects viz., Chukkhia, Kurichu and Tala have already been set up in Bhutan with Indian assistance and all surplus power from the three commissioned hydro-electric projects in Bhutan is being sold to India.

He said that within SAARC, a sub-regional cooperation programme could be forged involving Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, North-East of India and Sikkim and China which is an observer in SAARC.

Projects

He said that projects to upgrade India-Bhutan Border Infrastructure include Rangia-Tamalpujr-Samdrup Jhonkhar (60 km) and Samtabari-Gelephu Road (40 km). He said a feasibility study for establishing five rail linkages to Bhutan is being undertaken by Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) involving West Bengal and Assam with Bhutan.

The sources said possibility of setting up a dry port in Phuentsholing is also being examined at the request of the Bhutanese government. The infrastructure for dry port would entail setting up of a second gate, possible rail linkage and upgradation of approach road and customs check post on the Indian side of the border.