… 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟕.𝟏 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲 By Kezang ChodenSouth Asia’s economy is estimated to have expanded by 7.1 percent in 2025, largely supportedby strong performance in India, which helped cushion the region from rising trade tensions andglobal policy uncertainty. Within this broader regional outlook, Bhutan stands …

… 𝑩𝑭𝑫𝑨 𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒘𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒕 By Tashi TshewangThe Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA) has seized and safely disposed of over 225 unitsof Nestlé infant formula after detecting contamination in two batches imported from India. Theaffected products include 126 units of NAN PRO 1 IF (batch number 52500453T2) and …

The recent recall of contaminated infant formula in Bhutan highlights the delicate intersectionbetween public health, consumer trust, and the complexities of a globalized food supply chain.While no illness has been reported in the country so far, the episode accentuates the criticalimportance of vigilance, proactive regulation, and informed consumer behavior, particularlywhen it comes to the most vulnerable population: infants.Infant nutrition products …

… 𝑫𝒐𝑻 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 16 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔 By Yeshi DolmaThe Department of Tourism (DoT) has cancelled the licenses of three tour operators followingrepeated failures to refund travelers, after 16 formal complaints were recorded over the past yearunder the Tourism Rules and Regulations (TRR) 2024. Two of the operators have been identifiedas Guru Adventures and 7Days Travel, …

… 𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 By Tashi TshewangThe Winter Youth Engagement Programme, organized by CORA Art Studio in collaborationwith the  Respect, Educate, Nurture, & Empower Women (RENEW) Community ServiceCenter (CSC) and the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) in TrashiYangtse, concluded on January 23after delivering structured sessions focused on adolescent health awareness, youth safety, andcreative …

… 400 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 42 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑠, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 40 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑 By Kezang ChodenUnder the Gewog Annual Budget, the construction of a reservoir tank with a storage capacity of400 thousand litres is underway in Metakha Gewog, Chukha Dzongkhag, to strengthen irrigationfacilities and address water scarcity faced by local farmers. As of now, more than …

Tashi Tshering, Thimphu Since the start of the year, the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax has transformedeveryday purchases into an exercise in caution and uncertainty for ordinary citizens. What wasintended as a reform to simplify taxation and create uniformity has, for many, resulted inconfusion and added financial pressure. Households with limited budgets, individuals relying onregular services, and small …

… 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔, 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 By Tashi TshewangA natural dyeing, creative design, and entrepreneurship training programme is currentlyunderway at Nakeling School in Pemaling Gewog, Samtse Dzongkhag, aimed at equipping localparticipants with practical skills to revive traditional textile practices while creating sustainablelivelihood opportunities. The programme is being conducted with technical support from theRoyal …

… 𝑨𝑫𝑩 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 By Kezang ChodenAccording to the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) report Youth Entrepreneurship in BhutanBuilding Pathways to Job Creation 2026, Bhutan’s youth continue to face persistent labourmarket challenges, including high rates of those not in employment, education or training,difficult transitions from school to work, and low job quality …

As the world intensifies efforts to tackle climate change, the emergence of carbon marketsrepresents both a challenge and an opportunity for nations committed to sustainabledevelopment. Carbon credits, which quantify and certify reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,are increasingly recognized as a legitimate economic instrument that rewards countries forresponsible environmental stewardship. For nations with abundant natural resources and strongenvironmental governance, participating in …