Rs 2.05bn grant for ICT development

December 26 – As His Majesty the King concludes a historic six-day state visit to India today, the government of India (GoI) agreed to grant Rs 2.05 billion for the development of ICT in Bhutan and Rs 250 million as assistance towards the rehabilitation and reconstruction works for the earthquake affected areas in eastern Bhutan.

The Indian government has already assured the Rs 2.05bn grant during the prime minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley’s visit to India earlier this year.

Strengthening and expanding cooperation in ICT sector is among the 12 agreements signed between the two governments during the royal visit.

The Rs 2.05bn “Total Solutions Project’ will provide access to information technology and IT solutions to a significant proportion of Bhutan’s population, including government officials, teachers, entrepreneurs and rural children, by training and establishing ICT enabled schools, computer labs, and computer stations in rural Bhutan over the next five years.

The prime minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, lauded the royal government of Bhutan’s efforts to develop a knowledge-based ICT economy and confirmed GoI’s support.

“Information technology development and dissemination is a priority area of the royal government, to which the King of Bhutan attaches particular importance,” stated a joint press statement by the two governments.

According to an official from the foreign ministry, the royal government has developed the total solutions project with the help of NIIT, India to promote Bhutan as a knowledge-based society. “The project aims to bring in value and accelerate certain targets of the ICT sector, with special reference to the areas of e-governance and education training needs,” an official told Kuensel. An MoU was signed on February 14, 2009 between the ministry of information and communication and NIIT ltd, India.

He said that the total solutions project is one of the activities that will be implemented under the MoU on ICT development that was signed between the two countries on December 22.

“This MoU seeks to provide a framework for partnership arrangement between the two governments to consolidate and strengthen GoI’s support to Bhutan’s ICT program to achieve universal connectivity,” said Rinchen Kuentsyel of foreign ministry. The Rs 2.05bn grant will broadly cover the implementation of the on-going national broadband master plan project to lay backbone telecommunication network within Bhutan, and the e-governance project.

Besides early implementation of the total solution project, it will also encourage Indian ICT firms to invest in Bhutan, allow access to Bhutan for use of extensive education network in India, such as education and research network (ERNET), and also beyond India using the ERNET facility. It would also facilitate the use of Indian satellites for Bhutanese entities such as Bhutan broadcasting service and VSAT telecommunication system, through waiver of charges, facilitate the down-linking of Bhutanese television programs for inclusion in the DTH-TV package for making these programmes accessible to viewers in Bhutan as well as India, through waiver of charges and fees.

It would also facilitate the establishment of second telecommunication gateway between Bongaigaon in Assam and Gelephu for reliable and uninterrupted international telecommunication link.

The prime minister of India also conveyed sympathies for the loss of lives and property due to the earthquake in Bhutan in September 2009. As a gesture of solidarity with the government and people of Bhutan, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh announced that India will provide assistance of Rs 250mn towards rehabilitation and reconstruction works in Bhutan. In May 2009, the Indian government also granted Rs 100mn for the rehabilitation and reconstruction work after the cyclone Alia hit western Bhutan.

source; kuensel