…𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒋𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 By Kinzang Lhamo Citrus production in Samtse Dzongkhag has seen a sharp and concerning decline in recent years, with export volumes dropping dramatically from over 500 truckloads annually to a mere 18. This steep decrease has raised alarm among local farmers, community leaders, and government officials, who recognize the …

Dechen Dorji Bhutan’s quiet decision to embrace green cryptocurrency mining has sparked considerable discussion both within the country and internationally. The plan to use its surplus hydroelectric power to mine digital currency initially appears to be a practical solution: how can a small, environmentally conscious nation diversify its economy while staying true to its principles? Proponents view this as a …

…𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 By Yeshi Dolma The government has launched the Integrated Service Center (ISC) in Thimphu to simplify access to essential public services and reduce bureaucratic delays. Alongside this, the enhanced Public Service Contact Center (PSCC), reachable via the toll-free number 1199, forms part of the government’s vision …

…𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝑷𝑷𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 By Yeshi Dolma Amid growing strain on the national healthcare system, the feasibility of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in delivering equitable, efficient, and sustainable health services took center stage at a recent workshop supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The event brought together a wide cross-section of …

…𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂 𝒈𝒂𝒑𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍-𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 By Yeshi Dolma Bhutan is making significant strides in strengthening its health security systems, according to the preliminary findings of the Second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). Conducted by Bhutan’s Ministry of Health with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO), …

…𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 By Tashi Tshewang In the ongoing National Assembly session, the Member of Parliament (MP) from Dophuchen-Tading constituency raised concerns regarding the safety and functionality of the Denchukha suspension bridge. He highlighted the bridge’s vulnerability during the monsoon season and its unsuitability for heavy vehicular traffic, …

…𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 By Tashi Tshewang Thimphu recently hosted the Dzongkhag Tourism Marketing and Consultation Meeting, attended by 15 tour operators, officials from the Department of Tourism, the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators, and other stakeholders. The meeting’s aim was to promote Zhemgang Dzongkhag as a unique destination for domestic and international visitors.The …

…𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒑 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔 By Kezang Choden Farmers in several gewogs of Samtse Dzongkhag are facing increasing challenges from wildlife conflict, which has become a serious concern for the region. Gewogs including Yoeseltse, Samtse, Namgyelcholing, and Tashicholing have seen frequent crop damage caused by wild animals, forcing many …

Urban housing in Bhutan is undergoing a quiet but powerful transformation. The shift from individual homes to stacked flats in multi-owner buildings is not merely architectural. It is a social and legal evolution that demands urgent attention. What has grown unchecked in recent years is now showing visible signs of structural and administrative stress. The rise in shared living spaces …

…𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆-𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒕𝒉, 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 By Kinzang Lhamo & Yeshi Dolma The World Bank has announced a $300 million Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Bhutan covering 2025 to 2029. The initiative aims to support the country’s ambition to attain high-income status by 2034 by focusing on private sector development, climate resilience, and infrastructure …