The Bhutanese government on Friday conferred Order of the Druk Gyalpo, the highest civilian honour of the Himalayan nation, on visiting Indian PM Narendra Modi.
He posted on X: “Honoured to be conferred with ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’ Award by Bhutan. I dedicate it to 140 crore Indians.”
He is the first foreign head of government to receive the honour.
India, Bhutan sign MoUs
India and Bhutan on Friday signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in various sectors, including a railway link between the two nations, on day one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Himalayan kingdom.
The MoUs were witnessed by PM Modi and his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay, who also held discussions on various aspects of the multi-faceted bilateral relations.
The MoUs pertained to the general supply of petroleum, oil, lubricants (POL) and related products from India to Bhutan, cooperation in the field of energy efficiency and energy conservation measures.
Furthermore, MoUs were also signed on cooperation in sports and youth, sharing reference standards, pharmacopeia, vigilance and testing of medicinal products, Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) on space cooperation and arrangement between National Knowledge Network of India (NKN) and Druk Research And Education Network of Bhutan.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi met Tobgay over a working lunch hosted in his honour.
The Prime Minister thanked Tobgay for the exceptional public welcome accorded to him, with people greeting him all along the journey from Paro to Thimphu.
According to the External Affairs Ministry, the two leaders held discussions on various aspects of the multi-faceted bilateral relations and forged an understanding to further enhance cooperation in sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, youth exchange, environment and forestry, and tourism.