Gelephu Mindfulness City Engages with Key Stakeholders at Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit
Guwahati, Assam – February 26, 2025 – Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) participated in the Advantage
Assam 2.0 Summit, held in Guwahati, Assam, from February 25 to 26. The GMC delegation was led by
Ambassador Jonathan Tow, His Majesty’s Special Envoy to India for GMC and Head of International
Affairs, with Rabsel Dorji, GMC’s Head of Communications, and engaged with key stakeholders from
India and beyond.
At a special session on “Indo-Bhutan Economic Cooperation and GMC”, Ambassador Tow and Rabsel
Dorji presented His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s vision for GMC. They shared His
Majesty’s Diamond Strategy and “One Country Two Systems” approach and explained how GMC, as a
Special Administrative Region (SAR), would adopt and adapt proven international systems like Singapore
Common Law and Abu Dhabi Global Market Regulations, to create a unique and attractive destination
for global investors.
In line with His Majesty’s vision, Ambassador Tow highlighted how GMC would focus on developing
seven core industries, namely: Spiritual, Health and Wellness, Education and Knowledge, Agri-Tech and
Forestry Technology, Green Energy and Tech Industries, Finance and Digital Assets, and Aviation and
Logistics. This would create the foundation of what His Majesty envisioned as a vibrant economic hub
that “will be a Mindfulness City, encompassing conscious and sustainable businesses, inspired by
Buddhist spiritual heritage, and distinguished by the uniqueness of the Bhutanese identity”. Ambassador
Tow also shared with participants that while the GMC team was in the final stages of putting in place
legal, judicial, financial and operational policies to establish the SAR, early stage opportunities investors
could look forward to included infrastructure projects to build the Gelephu International Airport and in
the energy and hospitality sectors, and companies keen on establishing R&D and financial and digital
assets presence in GMC.
Ambassador Tow also highlighted how GMC was ready to collaborate closely with India, especially with
Assam as a close neighbour and economic powerhouse. For example, both GMC and Assam could work
together to potentially establish a Special Economic Zone in Assam for manufacturing with market
access into India and the broader region and complement their aviation sectors for enhanced
connectivity. He further stressed that GMC-India/Assam collaboration was a strong win-win proposition,
bringing together unique strengths and complementary attributes that will potentially see significant
economic benefits for all parties. For this purpose, Ambassador Tow announced that the Government of
India has in-principle agreed to the establishment of a joint working group between senior officials from
GMC, India and Assam.
In response, Honorable Chief Minister of Assam Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his strongest
determination that Assam would work closely with GMC and assured the audience that His Excellency
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had given his fullest backing to this joint endeavour. The Chief
Minister also expressed his deep appreciation for His Majesty’s warm invitation for him to attend the
117 th National Day in Thimphu as chief guest, and in turn, Dr Himanta extended his personal invitation to His Majesty to return to Assam for a visit.
The session was fully packed and featured a distinguished panel of speakers including Bhutan’s
Agriculture and Livestock Minister His Excellency Younten Phuntsho, Chief Minister of Assam, Chief
Executive Member of Bodoland Territorial Council, and Secretary (East) Ministry of External Affairs.
Notably, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar attended the GMC presentation and interacted
with the GMC team. The session was also attended by Bhutan’s Ambassador to India His Excellency V
Namgyel and other key foreign ambassadors based in New Delhi, senior officials, business leaders, and
almost a hundred strong Bhutanese delegation comprising students studying in India and a business
delegation. The presentation, which marked GMC’s first official engagement in India, received significant
interest that underscored GMC’s potential as a transformative economic and cultural hub in the region,
with a focus on sustainability, innovation, and cross-border collaboration.
