The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) is delighted to invite you to the online launch of the Sambandh Database and Map: India’s Regional Connectivity Links, followed by a panel discussion on Infrastructure for Integration: India–Bhutan Connectivity in the Next Decade. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm (IST). It will be live-streamed on Zoom and CSEP’s YouTube channel.

The panel will feature Mahendra Lama, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Constantino Xavier, Senior Fellow, CSEP. The session will be moderated by Riya Sinha, Associate Fellow, CSEP.

Register here to attend

About the event

The Sambandh Database is a first-of-its-kind digital tool that maps India’s cross-border connectivity links. The first phase of the Database focuses on the infrastructure between India and Bhutan. It visualises transport and energy projects across India’s neighbourhood, offering a comprehensive view of regional integration efforts.

The webinar will also explore emerging India-Bhutan connectivity linkages in a changing regional context. Over the past year, high-level engagements – including visits by His Majesty The King of Bhutan and the Bhutanese Prime Minister – have underscored growing momentum in bilateral ties. Key discussions have focused on new connectivity projects, such as proposed rail links aligned with Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City initiative. These developments signal a shift in India-Bhutan cooperation beyond traditional development assistance.

 Anchored in the Sambandh Database and Map, the panel will examine the evolving strategic, economic, and developmental dimensions of connectivity that will also support Bhutan’s ambition to become a high-income nation.

Panellists

Mahendra P Lama

Mahendra P Lama has been a senior Professor in the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, specialising in development economics and the economies of South Asia. He has served as the Government of India’s nominee in the Eminent Persons Group set up by the Prime Ministers of India and Nepal. He was the Founding Vice Chancellor of the Central University of Sikkim and became the youngest VC of a national University in India. He served as Member, National Security Advisory Board, Government of India; Chief Economic Adviser in the Government of Sikkim with a Cabinet Minister Rank (2002-2007) and the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi. He is a recipient of multiple reputed awards and has served in the capacity of a visiting professor in a number of universities, located both within India and abroad.  

Constantino Xavier 

Constantino Xavier is a Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and Security Studies at CSEP, where he leads the Sambandh Initiative on Regional Connectivity. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, in Washington DC. His research focuses on India’s changing role as a regional power, and the challenges of security, connectivity, and democracy across South Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Presenter and Moderator

Riya Sinha  

Riya Sinha is an Associate Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Security vertical at CSEP. She was the 2024 Maitri Fellow at the United States Studies Centre, supported by the Centre for Australia India Relations. In 2022, she was a Visiting Fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington DC. At CSEP, Riya coordinates the Sambandh Regional Connectivity Initiative, focussed on conducting data-driven research to map India’s links with its neighbouring countries. Her research interest includes regional economic connectivity in South Asia, particularly in the area of trade, logistics, infrastructure, and border management.

All content reflects the individual views of the speakers. The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) does not hold an institutional view on any subject.

Please contact Gurmeet Kaur at GKaur@csep.org for general queries and Ayesha Manocha at AManocha@csep.org for media queries.