Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India was “extending full support” to Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), a flagship urban project aimed at creating an eco-friendly and economically vibrant hub rooted in Bhutanese values.
Speaking at a programme in Thimphu marking the 70th birthday of Bhutan’s fourth king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Modi said the project would deepen economic and infrastructural cooperation between the two nations. “Along with energy cooperation, our focus is on enhancing connectivity between India and Bhutan because connectivity creates opportunity and opportunity creates prosperity,” he said.
With this goal, India has decided to link Gelephu and Samtse with its rail network. “Once completed, this will give Bhutanese industries and farmers easier access to India’s large markets,” Modi added. He also announced that India would soon establish an immigration checkpoint near Gelephu “to further facilitate visitors and investors coming here.”
The Gelephu project, located on the Assam border, is viewed as a transformative initiative for both countries. The Centre and the Assam government are closely involved, given the expected benefits to trade, tourism and regional growth. “The progress and prosperity of India and Bhutan are closely linked,” Modi said.
In September, the Centre announced two cross-border rail links — Kokrajhar (Assam)–Gelephu (Bhutan) and Banarhat (West Bengal)–Samtse (Bhutan) — to be built at a cost of ₹4,033 crore. The Kokrajhar–Gelephu line will span 69km, while Banarhat–Samtse will cover 20km. Gelephu borders Chirang district in Assam, around 42km from Bongaigaon.
Conceived in 2023, the GMC will function as a special administrative region (SAR) under a royal charter, granting it executive, legislative and judicial autonomy.
Assam has also strengthened its ties with Bhutan over the past year. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited Bhutan in December 2023 on the invitation of its government — an engagement described by Bhutan’s foreign ministry as “significant” and “the first by an Assam chief minister.” The visit aimed to deepen cooperation in agriculture, trade, tourism, education and power.
Bhutan was also a key participant at the Advantage Assam 2.0 investment summit in Guwahati earlier this year, where Sarma and Bhutanese officials discussed cross-border partnerships. On November 2, Sarma said he had spoken to Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw about expediting work on the Kokrajhar–Gelephu railway line to improve connectivity and trade.
Earlier in April, Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited Assam’s Bongaigaon district to inspect the under-construction International Multimodal Logistics Park at Jogighopa, 91km from Gelephu. Once operational, the park is expected to facilitate seamless trade among India, Bhutan and Bangladesh.