Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins on Sunday his first visit abroad since taking office, arriving in Bhutan to launch a drive to reassert Indian influence in the region, offering financial and technical help and the lure of a huge market, Reuters reported. Modi's Hindu nationalist party has vowed to end the neglect of neighbours and in an unprecedented gesture, he invited all regional leaders to his inauguration last month. On Sunday, Modi will lay the foundation of a 600 MW hydroelectric power station in Bhutan and inaugurate a parliament building constructed by India. "Bhutan and India share a very special relationship that has stood the test of time," Modi said before his departure for Bhutan's capital, Thimphu, which is nestled in mountains and was for centuries closed to outsiders. "Thus, Bhutan was a natural choice for my first visit abroad."
