India assures Bhutan of assistance in 11th Five Year Plan

THIMPHU: India today assured Bhutan of assistance in financing, executing and monitoring its 11th Five Year Plan in a proficient and effective way.

Special Secretary of Development Partnership Administration P S Raghavan and his six-member Indian delegation called on Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay at the Gyalyong Tshokhag this morning.

Raghavan assured India's assistance in financing, executing and monitoring the 11th Five Year Plan in a proficient and effective way.

"We'd like to reach concrete outcomes early. We'll have discussions with private consultants and planning commissions to ensure that our assistance is better executed and better monitored and come up with more innovative and efficient projects," Raghavan said.

Prime Minister Tobgay thanked the delegation and said he looked forward to successful discussions and hoped the exchanges of visits between the two countries will continue hereafter.

India earlier had assured Bhutan of its assistance and support in addressing the economic situation. The assurance was made when National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh called on Bhutan's new Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay here last week.

"We'll do everything we can to support and provide assistance to Bhutan. We really look forward to working together and achieving positive outcomes," Menon had said.

Tobgay had expressed his gratitude to his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for assuring him of New Delhi's assistance for the 11th five-year plan.

The first round of Bhutan-lndia Development Cooperation talks between the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) and the Government of India (GoI) are ongoing in Thimphu.