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Kiren Rijiju meets Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay in Gelephu, backs Mindfulness City
India's Union Minister held what he called a warm, positive meeting on the Gelephu Mindfulness City, a border project meant to link Bhutan and India more closely.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay in Gelephu on Sunday, November 1. The two discussed the India-Bhutan partnership and what the Gelephu Mindfulness City could offer both countries.
Rijiju described the talks on X as warm and very positive. He said India remains a steadfast partner in Bhutan's path of growth and prosperity.
So what is this city? Gelephu Mindfulness City, or GMC, is a Special Administrative Region in Bhutan. According to its website, it is an urban development project that blends economic growth with mindfulness, holistic living and sustainability.
Location is a big part of the pitch. GMC sits on Bhutan's southern border with Assam, and its backers see it as a crossroads between South Asia, ASEAN and China. For India, it is viewed as an economic bridge for trade, digital connectivity and physical links.
Groundwork is already under discussion. During External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's September 16-18 visit to Bhutan, both sides talked about the city, trade and transit, cross-border connectivity, digital payments and space cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
India also reaffirmed plans for an Immigration Check Post at Hatisar in Assam, meant to ease travel for investors and visitors heading to Gelephu. The sides noted progress on the Gelephu-Kokrajhar and Samtse-Banarhat rail links as well.
For travellers, businesses and border communities, those links could make the difference between a project on paper and a place people can actually reach. The countries' ties rest on trust, shared spiritual traditions and people-to-people bonds.
Source: ANI report via India Gazette.
