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…𝒈𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒈-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 By Tashi Tshewang The National Khuru Tournament 2025 is currently underway at Changbangdru, Thimphu, with 21 gewog-based teams from across Bhutan competing in one of the nation’s traditional sporting events. Organized by the Bhutan Indigenous Games and Sports Association (BIGSA), the tournament officially commenced on November 24 and …

…𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 By Yeshi Dolma The government has unveiled the revised Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Rules and Regulations 2025, marking a significant step toward enhancing the nation’s appeal to foreign investors. The move reflects a deliberate strategy to address longstanding barriers to investment, improve regulatory clarity, and simplify the process for international businesses …

…𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔-𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒊𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 By Leki Chungdon A two-day training on smart agriculture techniques was carried out last week in Gangkha and Gibsa villages under Khebisa Gewog, equipping local farmers with practical tools to strengthen climate resilience and improve soil health. The programme, organised with support from the Gewog’s …

…𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒖𝒑𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉, 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂-𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔 By Tashi Tshewang The restoration of the Thimphu Basketball Center has transformed Bhutan’s oldest indoor basketball facility into one of the country’s most inclusive and accessibility-focused sporting spaces, introducing modern upgrades that expand opportunities for youth, national athletes, and para-athletes. Inaugurated on November 25 in the presence …

…𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 955 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 By Tashi Tshewang and Yeshi Dolma The national effort to streamline regulations and improve the ease of doing business marked another important step this week as the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment and the Cabinet Secretariat convened a high-level Business Regulatory Stakeholder Meeting in …

…𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒚 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅 By Kezang Choden The Department of Tourism (DoT) has reported a steady rise in village homestays across the country, reflecting growing interest in rural tourism and community-based hospitality. According to official records, the country had 146 certified homestays in 2024, increasing to 165 this year. The growth …

…𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒆 By Leki Chungdon The Ministry of Health inaugurated the National Center for Traditional Medicine Services (NCTMS) and launched the National Traditional Medicine Strategy and Action Plan (2025 to 2034), marking a major milestone for Bhutan’s traditional medicine system. The event also included the signing of a Nu. 44 …

…𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈-𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 By Sonam Choden During the Fourth Session of the Fourth Parliament, Kamal Bdr. Gurung, Member of Parliament, raised public concerns over reports suggesting a proposed national highway bypass that would divert traffic away from Damphu town in Tsirang. The question stemmed from growing speculation and community discussions …

Pema, Phuentsholing The country currently stands at a critical juncture. In recent years, notable progress has been made in reducing poverty, improving access to basic services, and raising living standards. These achievements are commendable and reflect a sustained effort to improve the quality of life for citizens. However, beneath these positive developments lies a growing concern. Jobs remain limited, economic …

The announcement of a uniform Goods and Services Tax (GST) marks a significant milestone in the nation’s economic development. A major policy shift of this scale inevitably provokes discussion and debate, reflecting the tensions between reform and public perception. While the rationale for a unified tax system is compelling, its success will depend not only on policy design but also …