On June 3, 2020 The Union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi approved the Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) between India & Bhutan to improve cooperation in the areas of Environment.
Objective of MoU
MoU will helps to establish & promote the long term cooperation between the two countries in the field of environment protection and management of natural resources based on equity, reciprocity and mutual benefits, taking into account the applicable laws and legal provisions in each country.
Major Provisions of MoU
i.Areas covered– MoU covers the following areas of the environment, namely- Air, Waste, Chemical Management, Climate Change, and any other areas jointly decided upon, by considering the bilateral interest of both countries.
ii.Tenure– MoU enters into force on the date of signature & remain in force for a 10 years
iii.Intend of the countries
- Through this MoU the countries aim to encourage organizations, private companies, government institutions at all levels and research institutions on both sides to establish cooperation activities
- Also, intends to hold Joint Working Group / bilateral meetings to review and analyze the progress of activities and to inform the progress and achievements to their respective ministries / agencies
iv.Advantage of the MoU
- The MoU will ease exchange of experiences, best practices and technical know-how by both public and private sectors & will contribute to sustainable development.
- It also provides the possibility for joint projects in areas of mutual interest & anticipates no significant employment generation
v.Limited Financial implications
The limited financial implications of the MoU are:
- MoU’s financial implications are limited to holding of the bilateral meetings / Joint Working Group meetings which will meet alternatively in India and Bhutan.
- The sending side will bear the travel cost of their delegation & the receiving side will bear the cost of organizing the meetings and other logistic arrangements
About the MoU
i.It was signed between the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC) of India and the National Environment Commission(NEC) of Bhutan on 11th March 2013.
ii.Perceiving the benefits of the earlier MoU expired on 10th March 2016, both countries decided to continue cooperation and collaboration in the field of Environment.
About Bhutan:
Capital– Thimphu(the largest city of Bhutan)
Currency– Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN)
