NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that outcomes achieved between India and Bhutan in the fields of energy, healthcare, and connectivity will further strengthen the bilateral partnership.
PM Modi’s visit coincided with Bhutan’s celebrations of several landmark occasions — the 70th birth anniversary of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, the Global Peace Prayer Festival, and the display of Lord Buddha’s relics from India in Bhutan.
“The outcomes in sectors like energy, healthcare and connectivity will add momentum to our bilateral partnership. My gratitude to the people and Government of Bhutan. I am grateful to His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, for coming to the airport as I board for Delhi,” the Prime Minister posted on X.
PM Modi received a warm send-off from King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck after successfully concluding his two-day visit to Bhutan. Earlier in the day, he joined the Bhutanese King and the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, at the Kalachakra “Wheel of Time” Empowerment initiation at Changlimithang Stadium, part of the ongoing Global Peace Prayer Festival in Thimphu.
Over 30,000 people, including visitors from abroad, attended the sacred ceremony presided over by Je Khenpo, the Chief Abbot of Bhutan. “Had the honour of inaugurating Kalachakra ‘Wheel of Time’ Empowerment with Their Majesties, the King and the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. Presided over by His Holiness the Je Khenpo, this important ritual holds great cultural significance for Buddhists worldwide,” PM Modi shared on X.
He also met the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and discussed a range of bilateral issues. Modi conveyed felicitations on the Fourth King’s 70th birthday and extended best wishes on behalf of India for his continued good health and well-being.
Several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed during the visit. These include an MoU on cooperation in Renewable Energy, signed by Bhutan’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Lyonpo Gem Tshering and India’s Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi. The agreement aims to enhance collaboration in solar, wind, biomass, energy storage, green hydrogen, and capacity building.
Another MoU on Health and Medicine seeks to strengthen cooperation in pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, maternal health, communicable and non-communicable diseases, traditional medicine, and telemedicine.
A third MoU between Bhutan’s PEMA Secretariat and India’s NIMHANS focuses on capacity building for mental health professionals and developing in-country mental health courses to enhance services and research. (IANS)
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