The minister visited Bhutan at the invitation of Lyonpo D. N. Dhungyel, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of the Royal Government of Bhutan, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said during the weekly press briefing. The ministers from both countries held detailed discussions on the entire spectrum of the bilateral relationship, and India and Bhutan also issued a joint press statement, he said.
Energy cooperation, fintech integration and several developmental projects featured prominently on the visit agenda. The ministers inaugurated and launched five projects in Bhutan during the visit.
Among them was the groundbreaking and foundation stone laying ceremony for the 500 KW Lunana Hydropower Project in northern Bhutan’s Gasa. The project is the first hydropower project in Bhutan to be built at an elevation of 4,200m above sea level and is a flagship project under the 13th five-year plan of the Bhutan government.
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India is funding the project through its Project Tied Assistance program, and the estimated cost of the project has been reported by local media at Nu 887 million. The project is expected to be completed by 2027 and provide electricity to 11 villages, benefiting 600 people, as per a video shared by Jaishankar on X.
He said the project marked a “proud milestone” in the “longstanding energy collaboration starting from Bhutan’s first hydroelectric plant ‘Jungshina’ in Thimphu in 1967, to now connecting Bhutan’s last unelectrified settlements.”
During the visit, the two ministers also launched the 80-metre-long Jaganathan Bridge on the Samdrup Jongkhar-Trashigang Highway in eastern Bhutan. The two-lane, permanent steel bridge replaces an ageing crossing and is designed for IRC class 70 loading. The bridge is named in honour of Maj Gen TV Jaganathan, the first Chief Engineer of Project Dantak, the bilateral infrastructure initiative between India and Bhutan.
“Built by Project Dantak, the Bhutan – India friendship project will improve connectivity between Trashigang and Samdrup Jongkhar in eastern Bhutan,” Jaishankar said on X.
In the domain of healthcare cooperation, the two ministers inaugurated the 65-bed Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Mother and Child Hospital in Mongar. EAM Jaishankar also handed over 43 Jersey cows from India to Bhutan’s National Cattle Breeding Centre in Bumthang. The transfer is expected to support cattle productivity, improve milk production and assist farmers in the country’s dairy sector.
India also handed over 54 electric vehicles to the Royal Government of Bhutan. Jaishankar said the initiative would support Bhutan’s efforts towards e-mobility and sustainable transport.
Indo-Bhutan energy partnership was also discussed between the foreign ministers of both countries. They expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the Joint Vision on Energy Partnership signed in March 2024. They referred to the inauguration of the 1,020-megawatt Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project and the signing of its tariff protocol. They also took note of the resumption of dam construction on the 1,200-megawatt Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project.
India and Bhutan welcomed the signing of the agreement for a ₹4,000 crore concessional line of credit for energy projects in Bhutan, which was signed in July during a review of India-supported development projects in the country.
The ministers also discussed Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City project. Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s support for His Majesty the King’s vision for Gelephu. The two sides agreed to continue discussions through the Joint Working Group on the project.
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India reiterated its commitment to establish an Immigration Check Post at Hatisar in Assam to facilitate the movement of investors and visitors to Gelephu. The facility was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Bhutan in November 2025.
Bhutan also thanked India for agreeing to establish a temporary immigration facility at Hatisar for the entry and exit of third-country nationals travelling to Bhutan for Project 108 Chortens/Stupas on November 1, 2026.
On trade, the two countries noted that discussions are continuing on the renewal of the Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit. Bhutan appreciated India’s recent notification allowing the export of 17 species of timber from Bhutan to India. It also thanked India for ensuring uninterrupted supplies of petrol, diesel and LPG amid global supply chain disruptions.
The two sides welcomed the recent operationalisation of a new Land Customs Station at Samrang in Assam. They also noted progress on the proposed cross-border rail links between Gelephu and Kokrajhar, and between Samtse and Banarhat.
On fintech platforms, the two sides completed the “two-way UPI-based digital payment connectivity” between the two countries, Jaishankar said on X, with the launch of phase two of international UPI for Bhutanese citizens visiting India. UPI was already active in Bhutan, and now Bhutanese tourists and students can also use their UPI to make payments in India as well.
Education, capacity building, training, culture and people-to-people exchanges were also featured in the discussions. The ministers endorsed the work of the India-Bhutan Foundation, which supports educational, scientific, cultural and technical exchanges. They also recognised the contribution of Indian teachers and nurses to education and healthcare services in Bhutan.
Taking the education cooperation between the two countries forward, expanding the scholarships offered under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations will increase the scholarships offered to Bhutan. Seats for Bhutanese students under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarship scheme were doubled from 30 to 60.
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Seats under the Nalanda University Scholarship Scheme were increased from 30 to 55, and the MoU between the Government of India and the Royal Government of Bhutan on the Nehru-Wangchuck Scholarship was also renewed. The two sides also reviewed cooperation in space. They encouraged greater engagement on satellite data applications for monitoring glaciers, forests, floods and agricultural activity.
India thanked Bhutan for supporting its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and India also welcomed Bhutan’s ratification of the Framework Agreement of the International Big Cat Alliance.
The two sides exchanged views on regional and global developments and recognised the importance of maintaining close bilateral ties. Finally, India’s external affairs minister Jaishankar invited Bhutan’s Foreign Minister to visit India at his earliest convenience.
