The Bhutanese Leading the way.
On 21 March 2024, the Joint Plan of Action (JPoA) was signed by the Secretary of GovTech Agency, Jigme Tenzing and the Ambassador of India to Bhutan, Sudhakar Dalela.
JPoA on Space Cooperation aims to declare that both sides have a major interest in strengthening mutually beneficial collaboration in space technology. Both parties pledge to advance, expand, and ensure cooperation in the space industry.
The progress made in the two nations’ space sector collaboration was noted in the joint statement on His Majesty The King’s April 2023 visit to India. The swift completion of JPoA was intended to strengthen the sector partnership in space technology.
The GovTech Agency and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had multiple rounds of discussions that resulted in the content of the JPoA. Members from the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), the Ministry of Education and Skill Development (MoESD), and His Majesty’s Secretariat participated in these discussions on behalf of Bhutan.
Under JPoA several cooperative activities have been agreed upon. These include carrying out capacity-building initiatives, such as internship and student exchange programs on Space Science and Technology at ISRO, for Bhutanese authorities and students.
Additionally, there will be sharing of appropriate remote sensing data from ISRO satellites to enhance evidence-based decision-making, and provision will be made for increased bandwidth on the South Asia Satellite to upgrade BBS TV channels.
The agreement also entails exploring possibilities of undertaking small satellite projects between Indian and Bhutanese students, as well as investigating opportunities for potential collaboration in space technology between commercial entities from India and Bhutan.
GovTech Agency and ISRO will immediately establish a Joint Working Group (JWG) to oversee the actions carried out under JPoA. It is required of JWG to quickly and conveniently carry out the implementation of the agreed actions in a way that benefits both parties.
Governmental organizations and researchers may be able to use data from ISRO satellites. For students, there will be opportunities to work on small satellite projects with Indian students.
There is an opportunity for private industries of Bhutan to partner with commercial entities from India in space technology. JWG will come up with detailed implementation plans for each identified area of cooperation.
