Making Bhutan his first foreign destination, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday vowed to nurture bilateral relations which he described as "B2B" or "Bharat to Bhutan" as he held talks with the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Premier Tshering Tobgay, discussing an entire gamut of ties. Embarking on a two-day trip here to display "special and unique" status for Bhutan in India's foreign policy, Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the Supreme Court complex built by India as part of the developmental cooperation.
"The primary focus of both the meetings was the extensive development cooperation between the two countries and measures to enhance the economic ties," official sources said.
Modi described the bilateral relations as "B2B relations — Bharat to Bhutan relations," the sources said on his meeting with the Bhutanese king and prime minister.
Modi announced doubling of scholarships being provided to Bhutanese students in India which will now be worth Rs 2 crore.
Prime Minister Modi also promised to assist Bhutan in setting up a digital library which will provide access to Bhutanese youth to two million books and periodicals.
The fact that the Prime Minister chose Bhutan as his first foreign destination assumes significance since China has lately intensified efforts to woo it and establish full-fledged diplomatic ties with Thimphu.
Modi, accompanied by external affairs Sushma Swaraj, national security advisor Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Sujatha Singh,,,,,,
