Bhutan (India's Neighbours)

📌 Background & Key Features

• Treaty basis: 1949 Treaty of Friendship (revised 2007) underpins close, non-reciprocal cooperation; India is Bhutan’s principal trade, aid and hydropower partner.
• Hydropower cooperation: Major joint projects (Tala, Chukha, Punatsangchhu) supply power to India while funding Bhutan’s development — a rare mutually reinforcing economic relationship.
• Doklam sensitivity: The 2017 Doklam standoff arose from Chinese road-building at the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction, underscoring Bhutan’s strategic salience for India’s northeastern security.
• Vaccine Maitri gave Bhutan and the Maldives top priority, reflecting Bhutan’s position as India’s closest neighbourhood partner.

📋 Quick Facts

📰 Current Affairs Linkage (2025-26)

• India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks (New Delhi, 1 July 2025) reaffirmed India’s support for Bhutan’s 13th Five-Year Plan with a historic ₹10,000 crore allocation, including Project Tied Assistance and an Economic Stimulus Programme.
• A new rail-link decision connects Bhutan’s Gelephu and Samtse to India’s rail network — among the only new physical connectivity agreements concluded with a neighbour in 2025.
• Northeast Indian states are increasingly engaging Bhutan directly (via border towns and the Bhutanese Consulate in Guwahati) in non-political spheres, reviving historic cross-border socio-economic links.

📝 PYQs for Practice (Mains)