Written Interview Of The President Of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee By The Kuensel Newspaper On The Eve Of His State Visit To Bhutan

Q 1: Your Excellency is visiting Bhutan for just a day. What is the purpose of the visit? Bhutan is the first country Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited after assuming office. Including Your Excellency, the two top most Indian leaders visited Bhutan in just one year. What does it signify about the relations between Bhutan and India?

Answer: India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Bhutan, which is a close friend and neighbour. Our relations are unique and special. They have been sustained by a long tradition of close consultations and frequent exchange of high level visits. I have had a long personal association with Bhutan in my four decades and more in public life. I am familiar with the leadership of Bhutan and have interacted with them on many occasions in Bhutan and in India. Prime Minister Tobgay’s first visit abroad was to India and Prime Minister Modi’s first visit abroad was to Bhutan. His Majesty, the King was the Chief Guest for our Republic day in January 2013. I was honoured to host him in the Rashtrapati Bhavan as the first foreign guest to stay in our renovated guest wing in January 2014. The King also paid a private visit to India in October 2014 when he travelled to many cities, including places of Buddhist heritage. I was invited to visit Bhutan by His Majesty the King. The Government of India and I both felt that this visit should be undertaken at the earliest opportunity. The visit by two top Indian leaders within a year is an important signal of our sincere desire to promote good neighbourly relations in South Asia and the importance we attach to Bhutan. I am confident my visit will further strengthen the already strong relations between our two countries. Let me add out in the above regard that I will be accompanied by a delegation which includes the Minister of State for Railways, several Members of Parliament, senior officials and representatives of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad as well as the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. During the visit, an MoU will be singed by Bhutan on its participation in the Nalanda University. MoU will be also concluded between the English and Foreign Language University, Hyderabad, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and National Innovation Foundation for experience sharing and human resource development in Bhutan.

Q 2: There are reports in Indian media that your brief visit to Bhutan is triggered by the recent border talks held between Bhutan and the People’s Republic of China? What are the concerns?

Answer: India-Bhutan relations stand on its own. We have been and continue to be close to each other. There is so much we are doing together and there is such great potential for us to scale new heights in the future. We do not need any third party or third country reason to come close to each other. My visit has absolutely no connection with Bhutan-China talks.

Q 3: Your Excellency is visiting Bhutan for just a day. What is the purpose of the visit? Bhutan is the first country Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited after assuming office. Including Your Excellency, the two top most Indian leaders visited Bhutan in just one year. What does it signify about the relations between Bhutan and India?

Answer: India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Bhutan, which is a close friend and neighbour. Our relations are unique and special. They have been sustained by a long tradition of close consultations and frequent exchange of high level visits. I have had a long personal association with Bhutan in my four decades and more in public life. I am familiar with the leadership of Bhutan and have interacted with them on many occasions in Bhutan and in India. Prime Minister Tobgay’s first visit abroad was to India and Prime Minister Modi’s first visit abroad was to Bhutan. His Majesty, the King was the Chief Guest for our Republic day in January 2013. I was honoured to host him in the Rashtrapati Bhavan as the first foreign guest to stay in our renovated guest wing in January 2014. The King also paid a private visit to India in October 2014 when he travelled to many cities, including places of Buddhist heritage. I was invited to visit Bhutan by His Majesty the King. The Government of India and I both felt that this visit should be undertaken at the earliest opportunity. The visit by two top Indian leaders within a year is an important signal of our sincere desire to promote good neighbourly relations in South Asia and the importance we attach to Bhutan. I am confident my visit will further strengthen the already strong relations between our two countries. Let me add out in the above regard that I will be accompanied by a delegation which includes the Minister of State for Railways, several Members of Parliament, senior officials and representatives of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad as well as the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. During the visit, an MoU will be singed by Bhutan on its participation in the Nalanda University. MoU will be also concluded between the English and Foreign Language University, Hyderabad, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and National Innovation Foundation for experience sharing and human resource development in Bhutan.

Q 4: Your Excellency has visited Bhutan several times in the past in many capacities. How has the relation between the two countries changed? What new areas can the two countries explore for cooperation? If India and Bhutan were to articulate a new vision for future cooperation, what would it be?

Answer: Yes, I have visited Bhutan many times in the past, in many capacities. I have been in public affairs for over four decades now. I have been a Member of Parliament for most of this period and held many Ministerial portfolios. Throughout this period, I have also closely followed Bhutan’s growth and evolution led by His Majesty the Fourth King and His Majesty, the Fifth King. The momentous changes in Bhutan, the voluntary transfer of power to the people, the drafting of a well thought out Constitution, and the successful conduct of two democratic elections with overwhelming participation by the people of Bhutan have all happened peacefully in a short span of time, making Bhutan the envy of many other countries. Over the years, I have watched our relationship grow from strength to strength. I have also contributed in whatever way I could to the nurturing of this relationship. In both our countries, there is consensus across the political spectrum that a strong India-Bhutan partnership is in our collective interest. The tradition of frequent exchanges and close bilateral relations is unbroken over many decades. Developmental assistance and security cooperation have always been and continue to be the bedrock of our relations. India’s commitment to Bhutan has only deepened over the years. Irrespective of which political party is in power in India, it will accord the utmost importance to relations with Bhutan. We would like to nurture this relationship to be a win-win partnership that is a model for the entire region. We must in the coming days build on existing ties and at the same time, proactively explore new avenues for cooperation. In fact, 2014 is a year of further consolidation of our relations. Education is one of the areas in which India and Bhutan can co-operate immensely. Nearly 4400 Bhutanese students are studying in India, which is almost one third of Bhutan’s entire student population. 800 of them are on scholarships. Many Bhutanese from different walks of life, including business leaders, academics, journalists, civil servants, police and army officers, have received training in India. We are ready to offer greater assistance to Bhutan in traditional medicine and are setting up e-libraries in all the 20 districts of Bhutan. Our shared Buddhist heritage has made India’s Buddhist tourist circuit very popular among the Bhutanese. Indians account for nearly 60% of Bhutan’s tourists. This is set to grow further with the commencement of direct flights from Mumbai to Paro. With greater connectivity, we can develop joint tourist packages linking India’s North-East with Bhutan. Our people to people contacts are deep, and provide life and sustenance to our close state-to-state relations. During Prime Minister Modi’s visit in June 2014, we doubled the Nehru-Wangchuck Scholarship Scheme to Rs. 2 crores per annum. We intend to also augment other scholarships. Exchanges between our respective academic institutions in the field of languages, management, law and innovation are being intensified. We are ready to assist Bhutan’s School Reform programme and offer enhanced opportunities for Bhutanese students to study in India. We can also further strengthen our cooperation in the field of agriculture and livestock development. We have offered to train your entrepreneurs in post harvest technologies and in the processing of agricultural products. Our institutes can offer training programmes in dairying, livestock management and cottage industries. We are determined to carefully nurture and build upon our exemplary partnership with Bhutan in the coming decades. We will work in close harmony, allowing simultaneously, sufficient room for the independence of our own judgments. India’s resources are at the disposal of the people and Government of Bhutan.

Q5: The government of India committed to support the construction of four new hydropower projects with a capacity to generate 2,120MW in Bhutan during Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay’s visit to India in May. However, there are talks that the government of India has declined to fund three proposed projects- the 2,640MW Kuri-Gongri and the 2,560MW Sankosh for financial reasons and the 540MW Amochu project for security reasons. Is it true? What could be the reasons for the change in the commitments? Today, the Bhutanese government, according to media reports, is reviewing the 10,000MW target by 2020, probably after the reports of GoI declining to fund the projects. What are the plans? Are the two governments looking into other arrangements of funding the proposed projects?

Answer: Hydropower cooperation between Bhutan and India is an outstanding example of win-win cooperation. It provides significant export revenues for Bhutan, generates clean electricity for India and strengthens our bilateral economic linkages. Three hydro-electric projects (HEPs) totalling 1416 MW are already operational in Bhutan. They are currently supplying electricity to India. Three more HEPs totalling 2940 MW are under construction. They are on schedule to be commissioned in 2018. An agreement on four new JV-model HEPs, totaling 2120 MW was signed in April 2014. The implementation of the 600MW Kholongchu HEP has commenced under this agreement. We will take up the Bunakha and Wangchu HEPs next, as soon as the ongoing techno-economic appraisal is complete. This will be followed by the Chamkarchhu HEP. The ten Indian assisted projects in Bhutan, which include the three existing, three ongoing and four JV Model HEPs will provide 6476 MW by around 2022. This reflects our commitment to developing the hydropower sector in Bhutan. Future mega-projects will have to be assessed carefully, especially their socio-economic and environmental impact. While we remain strongly committed to consolidating our hydropower cooperation with Bhutan, these mega-projects may need to be spaced out over time.

Q 6: The government of India committed to support the construction of four new hydropower projects with a capacity to generate 2,120MW in Bhutan during Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay’s visit to India in May. However, there are talks that the government of India has declined to fund three proposed projects- the 2,640MW Kuri-Gongri and the 2,560MW Sankosh for financial reasons and the 540MW Amochu project for security reasons. Is it true? What could be the reasons for the change in the commitments? Today, the Bhutanese government, according to media reports, is reviewing the 10,000MW target by 2020, probably after the reports of GoI declining to fund the projects. What are the plans? Are the two governments looking into other arrangements of funding the proposed projects?

Answer: Hydropower cooperation between Bhutan and India is an outstanding example of win-win cooperation. It provides significant export revenues for Bhutan, generates clean electricity for India and strengthens our bilateral economic linkages. Three hydro-electric projects (HEPs) totalling 1416 MW are already operational in Bhutan. They are currently supplying electricity to India. Three more HEPs totalling 2940 MW are under construction. They are on schedule to be commissioned in 2018. An agreement on four new JV-model HEPs, totaling 2120 MW was signed in April 2014. The implementation of the 600MW Kholongchu HEP has commenced under this agreement. We will take up the Bunakha and Wangchu HEPs next, as soon as the ongoing techno-economic appraisal is complete. This will be followed by the Chamkarchhu HEP. The ten Indian assisted projects in Bhutan, which include the three existing, three ongoing and four JV Model HEPs will provide 6476 MW by around 2022. This reflects our commitment to developing the hydropower sector in Bhutan. Future mega-projects will have to be assessed carefully, especially their socio-economic and environmental impact. While we remain strongly committed to consolidating our hydropower cooperation with Bhutan, these mega-projects may need to be spaced out over time.

Q 7: With at least three kidnapping incidences in just one year along the Indo-Bhutan border in Gelephu, security has become a major concern for people living in the border town. Border management and security sits high on the two government’s priority list, but there is a sense of insecurity and a feeling that the GoI is not doing enough on this issue. What could be the best way forward?

Answer: I strongly condemn the recent incidents of kidnapping of Bhutanese nationals by militant elements. I am aware of the serious concern in Bhutan over these incidents. Let me assure you that we will deal such incidents with utmost of seriousness and every effort will be made to secure their freedom. Activities of Indian Insurgent Groups in the India-Bhutan border area are closely monitored by the two governments. Our border security forces work in close coordination to bring an end to such unlawful activities. We are further enhancing border security measures in sensitive sectors, including through more frequent meetings and exchange of real-time information. I am confident we will succeed in making our common frontier an area of peace and harmony.

Q 8: The need for better cross-border infrastructure including roads, railways and digital connectivity has been expressed at various high level meetings between the two countries. What are the recent developments? The Golden Jubilee Railway, the first railway link between India and Bhutan which was announced during the visit of former prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has not taken off. Could you provide us a detailed update?.

Answer: We already have 16 entry/exit points in India, including 9 road routes for trade with Bhutan. In January 2014, we also agreed to facilitate development of a bypass access road from Samdrup Jongkhar to Assam. In response to Bhutan’s request for four more permanent Land Customs Stations (LCSs), we are moving ahead with two LCSs in Assam and are in the process of land acquisition for the other two in West Bengal. As regards the Golden Jubilee Railway line, unfortunately both the routes under consideration, i.e., the Hashimara-Phuentsholing and the Hashimara-Toribari route pass through tea gardens or forest land. The conservation and livelihood aspects of these areas cannot be neglected. To resolve the matter, we are open to fresh ideas from Bhutan on any other route which will help improve our cross border connectivity. Considering the fact that both of Bhutan’s current links are through Siliguri, we will be also happy to support any new proposals for enhanced digital connectivity.