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Bhutan stands today at a crucial crossroads in its economic journey. After years of uncertainty and stagnation induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation has started showing signs of recovery. The economy is expected to grow by 8.5% in fiscal year 2025- a figure that reflects not only resilience but also renewed energy in sectors like hydropower, domestic investment, and …

…𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓-𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 By Kinzang Lhamo Water scarcity has long posed a significant challenge to the agricultural community in Bali Chiwog, Punakha. Despite the area’s fertile land, the lack of reliable and consistent irrigation has left a large portion of farmland uncultivated. Farmers have struggled to grow crops throughout …

…𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 By Kezang Choden The Good Governance Committee (GGC) held a stakeholder consultation with officials from the Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan Limited (RICBL) to discuss the Rural Life Insurance Scheme. During the meeting, RICBL provided a detailed overview of the scheme’s current operations. The presentation addressed key …

By Sonam Choden The preservation and promotion of traditional Bhutanese art forms remain central to the nation’s cultural heritage initiatives, reflecting a deep respect for ancestral craftsmanship and a commitment to nurturing creativity within established cultural values. A key platform that continues to highlight these efforts is the National Design and Art Competition (NDAC), an annual event that brings together …

The state visit of Their Majesties King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana to Bhutan on April 25, 2025, marks an extraordinary chapter in the diplomatic history of the two kingdoms. It is not merely an expression of ceremonial goodwill but a profound affirmation of the spiritual, cultural, and strategic ties that have quietly matured over decades. This …

…𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒕𝒉 By Tashi Tshewang Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are widely recognized as vital drivers of economic diversification and employment generation in Bhutan. Despite their potential, SMEs face significant challenges in accessing formal credit, primarily due to the banking sector’s stringent collateral requirements. Banks typically demand fixed, tangible assets …

…𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆 By Yeshi Dolma Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a global condition affecting millions of children and adults, and Bhutan is no exception. With the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that about one in 100 children are diagnosed with autism worldwide, Bhutan has made significant strides in raising awareness, …

…𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒏 𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍𝒔 By Tashi Tshewang Druk Green Power Corporation Limited (DGPC) has embarked on a significant initiative to install rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on public buildings in Thimphu, as well as on its infrastructure at the Basochhu and Chhukha hydropower plants. This project, with a total installed …

…𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔 By Kinzang Lhamo The Integrated Agri-Business Creation Training held in Serthi Gewog, Samdrup Jongkhar, is being hailed as a transformative initiative aimed at shifting rural livelihoods from traditional subsistence farming to more sustainable, market-driven agricultural practices. The initiative is being recommended by Minister of Agriculture and …

…𝒖𝒑𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 By Kezang ChodenThe National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) has successfully completed the planned relocation and upgradation of four Class A meteorological stations for the 2024-2025 financial year. This milestone marks a significant advancement in the country’s meteorological infrastructure, enhancing its capacity for accurate weather forecasting, climate …