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, led by Jonathan Tow and Rabsel Dorji, engaged with key stakeholders from India and beyond.

At a special session on “Indo-Bhutan Economic Cooperation and GMC”, Jonathan 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, Jonathan 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”. Jonathan 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.

Jonathan 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, Jonathan 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 117th 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.

About Gelephu Mindfulness City 

The Gelephu Mindfulness City Special Administrative Region is a visionary initiative of creating a world-class and vibrant economic hub in the southern plains of Bhutan centred around mindfulness, sustainability and innovation. The SAR aims to integrate traditional Bhutanese values, globally accepted legal frameworks, cutting-edge design and technology and harnesses the Kingdom’s abundant green power to serve as a global exemplar of holistic development. Please visit www.gmc.bt or contact us at  info@gmc.bt and invest@gmc.bt for more information.