Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Lotay Tshering have jointly launched the phase-two of the RuPay card in Bhutan – this will allow travellers from the country access RuPay networks in India.

The Indian PM also welcomed Bhutan as a full partner in the RuPay network, and said that this would also encourage the growth of digital transactions in the neighbouring country.

“Those with RuPay cards, issued by Bhutan National Bank, will now be able to access more than 1 lakh ATM machines and over 20 lakh Points of Sale terminals in India. I am confident that this will cause a lot of convenience to those who travel from Bhutan to India for studies, health services, pilgrimage or tourism,” said Modi at the virtual launch of the card on Friday.

The PM pointed out that the first phase of the RuPay card was launched in Bhutan last year during his travel to the country. “I am glad to learn that more than 11,000 RuPay transactions have taken place successfully in Bhutan so far. These numbers would have been far greater if the economies were not hit by the pandemic,” he said.

Modi also spoke about the deep cooperation between the countries in the area of space and other fields, and pointed out that India had recently brought about a big reform and opened up the space sector to private enterprises, which will increase capacity, innovation and skills. “I am happy that work by ISRO on sending Bhutanese satellites into space next year is progressing with speed,” he said.

India stands with Bhutan in this difficult hour of the pandemic, said Modi, and that added that meeting the neighbouring country’s requirements will always be its top priority.

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