GELEPHU - INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS
News: Hopes for Gelephu
mega-project, economic revival
What's in the news?
●
The King of Bhutan, has unveiled plans for a
Gelephu smart city project, the Gelephu Special Administrative Region (SAR),
spanning 1,000 sq km on its border with Assam.
Gelephu Smart City
Project:
●
The project will be part of the Sarpang district Special Economic Zone.
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Gelephu is one of three entry points to Bhutan from India, the others being Samdrup Jongkhar to its east and Phuntsholing to its
west.
Dynamic Economic
Corridor:
●
The proposed land connection from Gelephu, traversing Assam and Northeast Indian
states, extends to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia,
and Singapore, forming a dynamic economic corridor that bridges South Asia to
Southeast Asia.
Aim:
●
To attract investments,
boost trade and create jobs thereby facilitating the demand for goods and
services.
Sustainable Development:
●
It is rooted in the vision and values of Gross
National Happiness (GNH), as it aspires to be a Mindfulness City and envisions
setting up of “zero emission”
industries.
India’s Role:
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In the development of the Gelephu Mega Project,
Indian government infrastructure and private Indian investment will be key.
●
For Example: Indian
Railways has completed the preliminary engineering-cum-traffic survey for
the 57-km Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link,
which will be built with Indian support.