Bhutan rolled out the red carpet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, as the leader landed in the Himalayan kingdom and was accorded a ceremonial welcome.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun his state visit to Bhutan from March 22-23 and was warmly received by his counterpart, Tshering Tobgay, at Paro airport, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
He will be inaugurating the Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Mother and Child Hospital, a state-of-the-art hospital in Thimphu, built with the assistance of the Government of India.
PM Modi will also receive an audience with Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the fourth King of Bhutan, and PM Tobgay.
The visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the countries, and India’s emphasis on its Neighbourhood First policy.
"The visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to exchange views on bilateral and regional matters of interest and deliberate on ways to expand and intensify our exemplary partnership between the two nations," MEA had said earlier.
PM Modi accepted the invitation extended by his counterpart Tshering Tobgay last week, on behalf of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, to visit Bhutan.
Rs 25,000 crore corpus for maritime fund to boost shipbuilding in Budget 2025-26
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting the Budget for 2025-26, on Saturday proposed setting up a Maritime Development Fund with a corpus of Rs 25,000 crore for the long-term financing of the maritime industry.
Preparations for PM Modi's US visit after Paris AI Summit enters final stages
India and the United States continue to work on an "early visit" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington this month, that could possibly take place immediately after his participation in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit hosted by France at the Grand Palais in Paris on February 10 and 11.
Old vs New Tax regime: What has changed for middle class in Budget 2025-26
In a major move to ease the tax burden on middle-class taxpayers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced fresh tax slabs under the New Tax regime in the Union Budget 2025-26.
Big leap in tax exemption limit: Modi govt breaks away from UPA’s style of offering small reliefs
The Narendra Modi government 3.0 has continued the focus on income tax relief for the salaried class initiated by the NDA government in 2014, breaking away from the UPA’s practice of offering small doses of tax savings to the middle class.
FM Sitharaman goes for big push to job-led inclusive growth in Budget 2025-26
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday presented the Budget 2025-26 in the Parliament with an aim at accelerating employment-led inclusive growth, propelled by investments in the agricultural and rural sector, MSMEs and exports while sticking to the fiscal consolidation path.
Rs 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund to implement ‘Cities as Growth Hubs’
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Budget 2025-2026 in the Parliament on Saturday, said that the Government will set up an Urban Challenge Fund of Rs 1 lakh crore to implement the proposals for ‘Cities as Growth Hubs’, ‘Creative Redevelopment of Cities’ and ‘Water and Sanitation’ announced in the July Budget.
Union Budget: FM exempts basic customs duty on 36 life-saving drugs; boosts medical tourism
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced exemptions on basic customs duty on 36 life-saving drugs and also gave a big boost to medical tourism.
Two Israeli hostages released after 484 days by Hamas
Israel on Saturday announced the release of two hostages -- Ofer Calderon and Yardan Bibas -- by Hamas in the Gaza Strip after 484 days of abduction.