By Sangay Choden In line with the standard operating procedure on multi-sectoral response to trafficking inperson, 165 victims of trafficking were referred to National Commission for Women andChildren (NCWC) for psychosocial support. Earlier in 2020, under His Majesty’s Command, the government rescued 184 women fromthe Middle East – the government provided livelihood training, medical examination, shelterservices, and other necessities to …

Q&A with Tshering Wangchuk, STCBL CEO By Puran Gurung Question 1: As the country’s main trading arm – what are some of your plans for State Trading Corporation Limited of Bhutan (STCBL) in the coming years? One focus that the STCBL will undertake over the next few years is setting up Fuel Retail Outlets (FPO) in the 20 Dzongkhags. Apart …

By Puran Gurung/ Thimphu In light of various economic growth rate figures reflected by the government and other relevant agencies, the opposition party claim that the economy of the country has regressed by 10.08 percent in 2020. The Opposition Leader, Dorji Wangdi points that the economic growth figure of 2021 is not ready. Talking about economic growth of 2020, the …

With the increase in the number of mobile users in the country there is a requirement for a reliable network where it entails the increase in the number of cellular towers called Base Transceiver Station (BTS). More BTS need to be installed, especially in urban areas near the settlement, building and public areas. And people express concerns that the exposure …

In closing businesses, it is not a mere string of shops, it is the bread and butter of thousands of families and abruptly closing down a business that has been there for decades, the government must think of ways to benefit the people that have survived through the business so far. The idea is noble, or not, it is arguable …

By Puran Gurung In the rebuttal, the Royal Bhutan Police on the ongoing defamation case it lodged against a private businessman, Penjore Penjore submitted to the court that matters of public interest should be reported to the concerned authority and not post on Facebook. Reiterating the first hearing, the Royal Bhutan Police prosecutor argued that Penjore Penjore Facebook post may …

By Puran Gurung In Anti-Corruption Commission’s Annual Report (2020-2021) – the commission registered highest complaints against gewog administrations that qualified for investigation. ACC reported that the commission in terms of agency, it received highest complaints against gewog administration with 15 complaints, followed by 10 complaints against ministries and then nine complaints against corporations. There were four complaints against Thromdes and …

Articulating the drayang businesses compromising norms and values, the government through an executive order ceases operations of all the drayangs in the country with immediate effect. This was done through a series of reviews and consultations for over a year, and the decision comes after research, meetings, and intense consultations with various stakeholders – it came to the validation ‘drayang …

In line to maximize Gross National Happiness and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the Ministry for Agriculture and Forest is laying the foundation by embarking on eight ambitious and transformative pathways over the next decade. According to Bhutan National Pathways (BNP) launched by MoAF, these transformative pathways will ensure that Bhutan’s food systems assure access to …

In the effort to make our education system a holistic one, the government adopted a curriculum that aligned with a humanistic model, and together with it, new assessment criteria too. The new assessment criteria did not go well with many teachers, students and parents, many students will have to undergo the same class for another year but this does not …