India announces Rs 5,000 crore aid for Bhutan

[Vikrant]

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday reiterated its commitment to Bhutan's socio-economic development as it announced an assistance package of Rs 4,500 crore for the neighbouring country's 11th Five Year Plan. In addition, India will also contribute Rs 500 crore to a special Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) devised by Thimphu to facilitate loans for private sector from banks and enhance youth employment.

The announcement was made following a meeting between PM Manmohan Singh and his newly-elected counterpart Tshering Tobgay. India is hoping that relations with Bhutan - with the announcement of this package - would come full circle after the strife in July following New Delhi's abrupt decision to cut subsidy on LPG and kerosene it supplies to he landlocked neighbour.

While officials were tight-lipped about any discussion between the two prime ministers over China, with which Bhutan recently had another round of boundary talks, a joint press statement said that the two countries "reaffirmed the trust and confidence between the two countries and their mutual security interests".

Tobgay is Bhutan's second democratically-elected PM after the country's transformation into a parliamentary democracy in 2008. India officially blamed the expiry of the 10th Plan on June 30 for its decision to end subsidy.

New Delhi's decision to cut subsidy on cooking gas and kerosene came right in the middle of Bhutan's second parliamentary elections fuelling speculation that India was trying to influence the outcome, riled as it was with Tobgay's predecessor Jigme Thinley for pursuing policies not in her interests. After his party's loss in the elections, Thinley has now resigned even from Parliament.

According to the statement, Tobgay thanked India for the support extended for Bhutan's development and expressed keenness to strengthen people-to-people links.

The importance of continued cooperation in developing hydroelectric projects in Bhutan was also agreed upon. "India reiterated its commitment to install an additional 10,000 mw of generating capacity. The two sides expressed satisfaction at the progress in the three ongoing projects," said the statement.

According to the statement, India expressed its satisfaction at being a privileged partner of Bhutan in its socio-economic development, and reassured the Bhutanese Prime Minister of its commitment to capacity building in Bhutan.

"They agreed to continue their close coordination and cooperation with each other on issues relating to their national interest," it said.

India announces Rs 5,000 crore aid for Bhutan - The Times of India

 

[bianco]

Sounds all good.

 

[Vikrant]

ITANAGAR, FEB 15:
Described by environmentalists as a symbol of the “cultural identity of the Himalayan ecosystem”, the black-necked crane is facing a grim battle for survival now prompting experts in India and Bhutan to call for regional cooperation for the conservation of the species.

In order to discuss the current status and conservation measures related to the black-necked crane, a two-day India-Bhutan workshop on the species was organised from February 9 at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district which, incidentally, is also one of the wintering sites of the bird.

The workshop was organised by WWF-India in collaboration with the state’s forest department and was attended by experts from India and Bhutan and community conservationists from Zemithang and Sangti valleys of Arunachal Pradesh.

The experts recommended joint conservation of the species by India and Bhutan at the landscape level, site-specific conservation measures to be taken by the respective national government under the regional black-neck crane conservation framework and regional-level policy and advocacy for the protection of the species.

There were also calls for strong community-based conservation in black-necked crane habitats and regular monitoring with the experts saying that the species should be promoted as a cultural symbol of the Himalayan region.

The experts deliberated on a range of issues, including the current status of the species at all the key crane habitats in India and Bhutan.

Presentations were made on the current status and conservation issues related to the black-necked crane in Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. The experts from Bhutan talked about a range of issues related to the conservation of the species in their country.

“There is a need to enhance the understanding of the impact of anthropogenic pressures and climate change on black-necked crane habitats and populations in the Indo-Bhutan region,” observed Tshering Phuntsho from the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN) of Bhutan.

Said workshop coordinator Pankaj Chandan, who is the head of the Western Himalayan Landscape of WWF-India, “This initiative is to protect and promote the black-necked crane as a symbol of the cultural identity of the Himalayan mountain ecosystems.”

India Bhutan join hands to save black-necked crane Business Line

 

[Vikrant]

Dear Bhutan, here are five lessons in parliamentary democracy from India

A little over half a decade ago, the Bhutanese were so reluctant to embrace democracy that their beloved king had to gently goad the tiny Himalayan nation into voting to form their first elected parliament.

“It was a bit of a shock,” is how Bhutan’s then-chief justice, Lynpo Sonam Tobgye, described the transition in 2008.
Since then, the mostly rural nation of 750,000 people has weathered its democratic evolution with unusual dexterity, especially when you consider that its neighbourhood is overflowing with political basket cases.

The abundance of constitutional chaos in South Asia also means that Bhutan has mostly had only one regional power to help it along during its still-young experiment with democracy, India.

In fact, in 2011, the election commissions of Bhutan and India signed a memorandum of understanding (pdf) for the “promotion of exchanges of knowledge and experience in electoral processes,” among other things. In 2013, India even shipped nearly 2,000 of its electronic voting machines to Bhutan for the country’s second parliamentary election.

So, it wasn’t without irony that Indian parliamentarians on Aug. 11 provided their Bhutanese counterparts with a stellar performance when the visiting delegation made a stop at the Rajya Sabha.

“We hope that during their stay here they would be able to see and learn more about our parliamentary system,” Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari hopefully announced, knowing fully well that parliament has been in a gridlock for weeks.

Members of the upper house, as if on cue, burst into laughter, with an unidentified voice even asking: “Why did you add that line, sir?”

The smiling, perhaps embarrassed, delegation of Bhutanese parliamentarians simply looked on from the gallery.

...

Dear Bhutan here are five lessons in parliamentary democracy from India - Quartz