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The Economic Stimulus Plan (ESP) was launched with high hopes of revitalizing Bhutan’s economy following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ESP was designed to jumpstart key sectors such as agriculture, tourism, youth employment, and small-scale industries. However, more than a year into its implementation, a critical question lingers: has the Bhutanese economy truly rebounded to its pre-pandemic …

By Zhenphen Chokden As fuel prices soar and government incentives make electric vehicles (EVs) more accessible, a powerful shift toward sustainable transportation is taking hold. With rising fuel costs and high taxes on traditional petrol vehicles, more Bhutanese, especially taxi drivers, are turning to EVs as a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative. However, despite the growing momentum, the transition is met …

The increasing reliance on digital tools for crime detection and prevention marks a significant shift in law enforcement practices in Bhutan. The Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) has partnered with Bhutan Telecom (BT) and TashiCell (TC) to enhance crime investigations through mobile tower tracking. While this initiative has proven effective in solving cases, it also raises critical concerns about privacy, data …

…𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 By Lhendup Wangmo The Sangshingzor Vegetable Group in Phuntshothang Gewog has successfully expanded its production of fresh vegetables after securing a stable market to supply schools. One year after submitting their proposal, the group now supplies six schools in Samdrup Choling Drungkhag …

…𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒖𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏-𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 A growing shortage of teachers in rural schools has raised fresh concerns about the future of education in remote communities. While the latest Civil Service Statistics Report 2024 highlights an increase in overall civil service recruitment, the …

…𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 By Tashi Tshewang The Y and T Junctions in the capital have witnessed a concerning surge in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) over the past two years. In 2023, six accidents were reported, resulting in two injuries and no fatalities. However, the situation worsened in 2024, with …

People must take immediate precautionary measures to prevent the highly pathogenic Nipah virus (NiV) from gaining a foothold in the country. If preventive actions are not taken, the country could face serious health challenges. Neighboring countries like India and Bangladesh are already struggling with NiV outbreaks, particularly in the southern states of India and parts of Bangladesh. Given the geographical …

…𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒎𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆. Efforts to reform the public service sector are ongoing, but significant hurdles remain. As calls for greater efficiency, transparency, and accountability grow louder, the government faces complex challenges in modernizing its workforce and administrative structures. The 2024 Civil Service Statistics report …

…𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍-𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒖𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒕𝒉. By Kezang ChodenThe One Gewog, One Product (OGOP) initiative is set to expand its support for projects that promote entrepreneurship, improve livelihoods, and strengthen the rural economy. The expanded initiative will focus on creating high-quality, authentic Bhutanese products that adhere …

…𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 A persistent shortage of medical specialists is putting significant pressure on the healthcare system, raising concerns about hospitals’ and health centers’ ability to meet the growing demand for specialized care. According to the Civil Service Statistics Report 2024, while there has been an overall increase in …