President Pranab Mukherjee visited Bhutan

President Pranab Mukherjee visited Bhutan on 7-8 November 2014 to strengthen ties between the two countries. This is the first bilateral visit by a President of India to Bhutan in 26 years.

During his visit he had meeting with the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. He also discussed issues of mutual interest which includes bilateral and regional importance.

He also addressed Bhutanese leaders, officials, professionals and intellectuals on the subject of India-Bhutan relations.

During his visit, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Nalanda University. According to MoU, India will provide appropriate visa to students, faculty and staff for travelling to India to study or work in the University.

Besides, three more MoUs were signed
• The Royal University of Bhutan and English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad
• The Royal University of Bhutan and National Innovation Foundation under the Department of Science &Technology
• The Royal Civil Services Commission and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

He also announced the doubling of Ambassador's Scholarship to 2 crore rupees per annum for Bhutanese students to pursue their higher education in Indian Universities and institutes.

Both the countries agreed to strengthen the training programmes in the areas of agriculture, food processing and post-harvest technologies to build extensive assistance.

Pranab was accompanied by a high level delegation including Minister of State for Railways, four Members of Parliament, senior officials and senior representatives of educational and academic institutions.