Editorial Team As Bhutan prepares for the upcoming elections, political parties are laying bare their strengths and acknowledging the challenges they face in their bid for public support. Each party brings a unique narrative, highlighting distinct qualities that they believe set them apart. Druk Thuendrel TshogpaThe spokesperson for Druk Thuendrel Tshogpa stated, “DTT’s greatest strength lies in our team, composed …

As the sun sets on the third democratically elected government of our beloved nation, Bhutan, we stand on the cusp of a new beginning. The forthcoming general election looms large, a crucial juncture in our democratic journey. With the race for power set to intensify, we find ourselves inundated with the promises and criticisms of aspiring political parties. In this …

…𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚-𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 ‘𝑷𝒂𝒚𝒅𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒎’ 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒑 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 Phurpa WangmoPaydung village in Kangpara Gewog, located in Trashigang, is gearing up for its winter harvest by the end of November. Six farmers, collaborating under the initiative “Paydung Integrated Farm,” have cultivated crops on a 4.56-acre expanse, marking the village’s first-ever winter crop production. “The ‘Paydung Integrated Farm’ …

…𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒌𝒐𝒔𝒉 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 Sonam DekiCivil servants in Nichula under Dagana Dzongkhag are facing an acute housing crisis due to the scarcity of accommodations. When civil servants are assigned to work in Nichula, finding suitable housing becomes a daunting task, significantly affecting their work-life balance and overall well-being. One …

The recent report by the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan, detailing the country’s external reserves from October 2022 to July 2023, presents a critical snapshot of the nation’s financial standing amidst global uncertainties. The data portrays a mixed picture, highlighting the need for careful management and strategic planning to ensure the long-term economic stability of the nation. The initial numbers …

…𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒚 2023 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 513.90 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑼𝑺𝑫, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 472.40 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑼𝑺𝑫 Phurpa WangmoThe Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan recently released a report shedding light on the country’s external reserves from October 2022 to July 2023. This data provides valuable insights into Bhutan’s economic stability in the face of global uncertainties. …

…𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒎’𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝑷𝑰, 𝒊𝒔 𝑵𝒖. 57 𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 2023, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 2012 Sonam DekiIn a recent report by the National Statistics Bureau, Bhutan experienced a significant year-on-year surge in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in September 2023, rising by 5.03 percent compared to the same period the previous year, according to the latest …

Growing discontent is increasingly evident among private sector employees regarding the current postal ballot system in Bhutan. The private workforce is increasingly questioning the fairness of a system that seems to heavily favor civil servants, thus raising serious concerns about unequal treatment under the law. This disparity in voting rights has prompted some individuals to put forward practical and thoughtful …

…𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝑯, 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 By Phurpa WangmoThe Ministry of Health (MoH) has been grappling with an approximate 7-8 percent attrition rate, raising concerns about potential disruptions in health services. Notably, the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) stands at a higher attrition …

…𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒊𝒏 2022 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 Phurpa WangmoIn 2022, Bhutan’s economy staged steady resurgence, recording a growth rate of 5.2 percent. This marked a remarkable recovery from the severe 10.2 percent contraction witnessed during the challenging year of 2020, plagued by the pandemic. The growth story of 2022 was not only about numbers but …