India Post News Service
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bhutan August 17-18 during the course of which he will inaugurate a 720 MW hydroelectric project built with India’s aid, it was announced Friday.
“The highlight of the visit will be the inauguration of the Mangdechhu hydroelectric power project… 720 MW, four units, three of which have already been commissioned at a cost of about Rs 5,012 crore,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said at a press conference here. “It is actually the most cost-effective hydro project in South Asia,” Gokhale said.
Stating that the project has been made on 70 per cent loan and 30 per cent grant from India, he said the two sides will also sign the Mangdechu hydroelectric power purchase agreement. The hydropower sector is a major pillar of India-Bhutan cooperation. The Mangdechu project is the fourth such project after Tala (1020 MW), Chukha (336 MW) and Kurichhu (60 MW).
Modi will arrive in Bhutan August 17 and will call on Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. He will hold delegation-level talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Dr Lotay Tshering the same day. Apart from addressing the Royal University of Bhutan, Modi along with Tshering will also jointly inaugurate the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Ground Station in the Himalayan kingdom.
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