Thimphu, April 30: Taking India-Bhutan ties a step further, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today laid the foundation stone of a state-of-the-art medical college to be set up here and launched a project that would make half of the population of this nation computer literate in the next five years.
Dr. Singh also laid the foundation stone of two hydroelectric projects with a combined capacity to generate 1710 MW of electricity.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna and his Bhutanese counterpart Khandu Wangchuk signed the implementation agreement for the two power projects.
Dr. Singh also held bilateral talks with his Bhutanese counterpart Jigme Thinley. He laid the foundation stone of the Bhutan Institute of Medical Science (BIMS) which will be the apex central institute in Bhutan for medical education, research and patient care.
The IT project titled ‘Chipen-Rigpel’(enabling a society and empowering the nation) aims to make half the population of Bhutan computer literate.
Under the Rs. 205 crore project funded by India, 168 ICD enabled schools, computer labs and over 111 computer stations will be established in rural Bhutan in the next five years.
The Mangdechhu hydro-electric project to be built on the eponymous river in central Bhutan will have a underground powerhouse with four units each of 180 MW capacity that would generate 2083 million units of electricity in a normal year.
The Rs. 2896 crore project is scheduled to be completed in seven years.
The Punadsalgchhu-II hydroelectric project will come up in western Bhutan and would have a power house with six units each of 165 MW capacity.
The Rs. 3778 crore project is expected to be completed in seven years. Majority of the most of the power generated by these two projects is expected to be sold to India.
—-PTI