India pledges to provide Rs 8.5 billion to Bhutan

THIMPHU: India has pledged to provide Rs 8.5 billion to Bhutan for its 11th Five Year Plan, helping the landlocked country to implement major projects that will improve the livelihood of its people.

The decision in this regard was taken at the first meeting of the Small Development Project Committee (SDP) for the 11th Five Year Plan, comprising representatives from the Royal Government of Bhutan and two from the Embassy of lndia, held here last week.

The Committee reviewed the SDP activities of the 10th Plan and expressed satisfaction with their positive impact on the livelihoods of the people in rural Bhutan.

During the meeting, the Committee approved 59 projects amounting to over Rs 1.8 billion. 39 projects are to be implemented by local governments and 20 by central agencies.

It also decided on the formats to be adopted for project formutation, implementation, reporting and assessment.

The meeting was co-chaired by the Director of the Department of Bilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of lndia, Thimphu.

The next meeting of the Committee will be held in September this year.