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The recent debate in Bhutan’s Parliament about reinstating a previously disbanded vehicle quota system has reignited important questions about fairness, democracy, and accountability. While the discussion itself is critical for the nation’s future, what has raised concerns among citizens is the pattern of privilege and self-interest displayed by those in power. Many parliamentarians, who are already enjoying salaries, luxurious cars, …

By Lhendup Wangmo During the seventh sitting of Bhutan’s National Assembly, the Economic Affairs Committee (EAC) presented a crucial review report on Rural Credit Access, focusing on the financial needs of rural communities and the rising prices of goods. The report, delivered by Member of Parliament (MP) Tshewang Rinchen, chairperson of the committee, highlighted the challenges faced by rural sectors …

By Lalit Gurung Bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to commemorate the International Day for Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), the National Disability Conference (NDC) this year took place in Thimphu. Organized by Ability Bhutan Society (ABS), the Bhutan Stroke Foundation (BSF), the Disabled People’s Organization of Bhutan (DPO), the Phensem Parents Support Group, the Royal Society for Senior Citizens, …

…𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 By Lhendup Wangmo The Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD), in partnership with the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC), revealed ambitious plans to establish the National Teaching Service (NTS) by 2025. This pivotal initiative is designed to professionalize the teaching profession in Bhutan and provide …

…𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒑𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔 By Kezang Choden The Ministry of Economic Affairs presented a crucial report on the state of tourism in Bhutan in the parliament, revealing a significant imbalance in tourist distribution across the country. According to the findings, while the western region continues to dominate as the primary hub …

…𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝑳𝑪𝑺 𝒕𝒐 𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝑬𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 By Lalit Gurung Taktse College of Language and Culture Studies (CLCS), in Trongsa, is undergoing a pivotal transformation as Bhutan grapples with the future of its premier institution dedicated to preserving language and culture. Despite its capacity to host 1,000 students, the college currently enrolled only 248 students in its third and …

…𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑨𝑰, 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 By Kezang ChodenThe limited number of seats in Bhutan’s universities, particularly under the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), has prompted the Ministry of Education and Skills Development to introduce an ambitious plan to expand opportunities through the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. …

…𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒃𝒚𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 By Kezang ChodenThe Ministry of Finance has completed an analysis of the tax revision’s impact on vehicle prices, revealing significant trends following the lifting of the vehicle import moratorium in August. The study attributes the price hike to the previous government’s tax revision in 2022 and other market-related factors. Although smaller …

The issue of vehicle quotas in Bhutan, which first emerged in the 1980s, has resurfaced in recent parliamentary deliberations, prompting much-needed debate about fairness, economic priorities, and the long-term sustainability of government policies. Initially introduced to address the limited pool of government vehicles, the lack of public transport, and to ensure mobility for civil servants, vehicle quotas have now become …

…𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 By Sonam Choki & Tshering Yangden The National Traditional Medicine Hospital (NTMH) located at Kawajangsa in Thimphu, popularly known as the Indigenous Hospital, serves as a vital bridge between Bhutan’s rich traditional healing practices and modern healthcare. Rooted in “sowa rigpa,” the ancient science of healing, the hospital …