NEW DELHI, Nov 20: A virtual ceremony for the launch of Phase II RuPay card jointly by the prime ministers of India and Bhutan, Narendra Modi and Lyonchhen Dr Lotay Tshering respectively, was held on Friday.
Launching the card, Modi said RuPay cards provided by the Bhutan National Bank could be used at ATMs for Rs 1 lakh and Rs 20 lakhs at point-of-sale terminals.
The Prime Ministers of India and Bhutan had jointly initiated Phase-I of the project during the Prime Minister’s state visit to Bhutan in August 2019. The introduction of Phase-I of RuPay cards in Bhutan has allowed Indian tourists to access ATMs and Point of Sale (PoS) terminals across Bhutan. Phase-II will now allow holders of Bhutanese cards to access the RuPay network in India.
Speaking on the occasion, Modi said he was pleased to know that there have been already 11,000 successful RuPay transactions in Bhutan making it easier for the Bhutanese tourist access to tourism, shopping and other transactions in India. He further added had Covid-19 not occurred, the number would have been much higher.
Modi in a tweet stated “Boosting ties with Bhutan”.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) India in a tweet stated, “Prime Minister @narendramodi launches #RuPay Card Phase-II in #Bhutan in a virtual ceremony.”
Referring to the framework signed recently between India and Bhutan for “Peaceful Usage of Outer Space” to help the two countries strengthen collaboration, Modi said it would strengthen relations between India and Bhutan. He also congratulated the four engineers selected by Bhutan Government to work with ISRO in India during December.
He further stated, India has recently opened up the private business space sector which will help capability, creativity and skills, and also endured Bhutan’s agreement on the Third International Internet Gateway with BSNL.
(Venkatesh Iyer)