 "India will always be reliable: Om Birla to Bhutan National Assembly speaker")
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday said India would always be a reliable friend to Bhutan while noting the Rs 2,400-crore allocation for the neighbouring country in this year's Union Budget during a meeting with a Bhutanese Parliamentary delegation.
The Bhutanese delegation, led by National Assembly Speaker Wangchuk Namgyal, also called on Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar in Parliament.
The largest share of India's aid portfolio has been granted towards Bhutan with an allocation of Rs 2,400 crore -- constituting 41.04 per cent of the Ministry of External Affairs' development assistance -- in line with the country's 'Neighbourhood First' policy,
Birla said the 'Neighborhood First' policy, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given a new direction to India-Bhutan relations.
The Government of India has allocated Rs 2,400 crore from this year's Union Budget to Bhutan, Birla said, and added that it reflected the close ties between the two countries.
He also assured that India will always be a reliable friend to Bhutan, according to a statement issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
India is determined to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation with Bhutan, in line with the aspirations and priorities of the Bhutanese people, Birla said while appreciating the nation's goal of becoming a high-income economy by 2034.
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Birla and Namgyal also signed a MoU aimed at cooperation between the two Parliaments.
On Monday, another Parliamentary delegation from Hungary led by Hungarian National Assembly Deputy Speaker Istvan Jakab called on Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh in Parliament House.
The two sides discussed various issues, including the need for more Parliamentary exchanges to foster stronger bilateral relations, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said in a statement.