The signing ceremony of documents for 3 grant assistance projects under Japan’s ODA scheme, namely, the Exchange of Notes (E/N) for the “Project for Replacement of Ambulances (Phase 2)” as well as Grant Contracts (G/Cs) for the “Project for the Renovation of Irrigation Channels in Mongar Gewog, Mongar” and the “Project for the Construction of a Bridge in Athang Gewog, Wangduephodrang” was held on 18th March, 2015, at the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi.

In this ceremony, the E/N and G/Cs for above-mentioned projects was signed by Mr. Takeshi Yagi, Ambassador of Japan to Bhutan and H.E. Maj. Gen. Vetsop Namgyel, Ambassador of Bhutan to Japan.

The total amount of these three projects is about193 million Japanese Yen. Details of each project are as follows.

1. Grant Aid

“Project for Replacement of Ambulances (Phase 2)” (Counterpart: Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Health)

This project aims to provide 20 ambulances to the Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Health, Royal Government of Bhutan, in order to replace the old existing ambulances. The project totals 172 million Japanese Yen.

The Royal Government of Bhutan has the emergency responding system across the country especially for remote villages in hilly areas and ambulances play a central role in the system. However, an increasing number of ambulances are getting more than 10 years old.

In 2011, the Government of Japan provided the Royal Government of Bhutan with 26 ambulances under Japan’s Grant Aid. Since the Japanese ambulance has received a high reputation for its durability and functionality, this project has been proposed by the Royal Government of Bhutan, in order to replace 20 old ambulances.

Through newly installing fully-equipped ambulances, this project will widely benefit the people of Bhutan, improving people’s access to health-medical facilities and enhancing the health-medical services in Bhutan.

2. Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP)

The Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Project scheme was established in 1989 to meet the diverse basic human needs in developing countries. The Government of Japan has supported in Bhutan such projects as construction of bridges and school buildings, as well as provision of fire engines and compactor trucks. On March 5th, 2015, the Government of Japan signed the projects with local NGOs for the first time in Bhutan under this grassroots assistance scheme.

(1) “The Project for the Renovation of Irrigation Channels in Mongar Gewog, Mongar” (Recipient Organization: Gewog Administration, Mongar)

This project aims to renovate the existing two old earthen irrigation channels into concrete ones, to improve the efficiency in supplying agricultural water in Mongar Gewog, Mongar Dzongkhag, in eastern Bhutan. The project totals 10.69 million Japanese Yen (110,189 US Dollars).

Through this project, about 40 acres of the farm land in the project area will be supplied with sufficient irrigation water, including the land about 30 acres currently left in fallow because of the inability of current channels in supplying enough agricultural water to the land. This project will benefit about 1,000 people living and farming in the project area, with improving agricultural productivity by enhancing the supply of irrigation water as well as expanding the area to be used as farming land.

(2) “The Project for the Construction of a Bridge in Athang Gewog, Wangduephodrang” (Recipient Organization: Gewog Administration, Athang)

The project, is to construct a RCC bridge which enable people to cross over a river by vehicles to improve the accessibility of residents of remote villages to the nearby towns in Athang Gewog, Wangduephodrang Dzongkhag. The project totals 10.46 million Japanese Yen (107,800 US Dollars),

Athang Gewog, with a population of 1,980, is the block located in western Bhutan. Its poverty rate is 24.8%, and one of the most underprivileged areas in terms of development in the Wangduephodrang Dzongkhag.

In the Gewog, especially in the monsoon season, a river gets rain-swollen and floods up to about 2 meters high, and it makes impossible for the dwellers to go across the river even by the vehicles, and the only way for people to get across it is to use an existing small suspender bridge. This situation critically hampers people’s access to the other part of the Dzongkhag, as well as shipping the agricultural products to the nearby markets.

This project fits the priority areas of Japanese Government’s in supporting Bhutan as well as Bhutanese Government’s, namely Agriculture and Rural Development, and Agricultural Infrastructure Development.

The construction of this bridge will improve the accessibility of residents of remote villages and also increase farmers’ income by enabling the farmers to ship their agricultural products to the nearby market, even in the monsoon season.


The Government of Japan hopes that the three new grant projects will improve the quality of living and strengthen the human security of the people in Bhutan, and will further develop the relations of friendship and cooperation between Japan and Bhutan.