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Growing discontent is increasingly evident among private sector employees regarding the current postal ballot system in Bhutan. The private workforce is increasingly questioning the fairness of a system that seems to heavily favor civil servants, thus raising serious concerns about unequal treatment under the law. This disparity in voting rights has prompted some individuals to put forward practical and thoughtful …

…𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝑯, 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 By Phurpa WangmoThe Ministry of Health (MoH) has been grappling with an approximate 7-8 percent attrition rate, raising concerns about potential disruptions in health services. Notably, the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) stands at a higher attrition …

…𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒊𝒏 2022 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 Phurpa WangmoIn 2022, Bhutan’s economy staged steady resurgence, recording a growth rate of 5.2 percent. This marked a remarkable recovery from the severe 10.2 percent contraction witnessed during the challenging year of 2020, plagued by the pandemic. The growth story of 2022 was not only about numbers but …

…Feasibility studies for four other small hydro projects consisting of 45MW Gamri-I, 26MW Druk Bindu-I and II, 20MW Begana, and 90MW Jomori are nearing completion after which construction will be immediately initiated Tshering DorjiThe annual electricity generation from the plants in operation in 2022 reached 10,752 million units (MU). Out of this, 3,295 MU was consumed domestically, while 7,819 MU …

…Calls for inclusivity are rising as non-civil servants urge a reconsideration of postal ballot eligibility and propose alternatives to ensure equal participation Sonam DekiGrowing discontent is evident among private sector employees concerning the current postal ballot system. They are questioning the fairness of a system that appears to favor civil servants, which raises concerns about unequal treatment under the law. …

As Bhutan enters the fiscal year 2023-24, while there have been positive signs of progress, such as a reduction in the fiscal deficit due to increased revenue mobilization, Bhutan faces challenges with a projected widening fiscal deficit, driven by reduced grant estimates. The total public debt has risen to alarming levels, reaching 136.8 percent of GDP, primarily attributed to hydropower …

…𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎’𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒚 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 By Sonam DekiThe Department of Tourism is actively exploring various avenues to boost tourism. While a Sustainable Development Fee is charged for every tourist, the department adopts a unique approach for social media influencers whom they deem capable of effectively promoting the kingdom. These influencers, …

…4780 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒅 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆, 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒏𝒔𝒆 By Phurpa Wangmo Recent data from the Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority (BCTA) has unveiled a disconcerting trend within the country – an increasing number of individuals flouting driving license regulations. Between the year 2022 and the first week of October 2023, a staggering 4,780 individuals were …

In the midst of a turbulent global economic landscape, Bhutan’s extraordinary economic resurgence in 2022 stands as a remarkable testament to the nation’s resilience and the efficacy of its economic policies. With a striking growth rate of 5.2 percent, Bhutan managed to rebound from the severe economic contraction of -10.2 percent experienced in 2020, a year deeply scarred by the …

…𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 2022-23 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 8 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒖. 20,101 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓. By Phurpa WangmoThe total budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 is maintained at Nu. 74.86 billion, representing a 7.6 percent increase compared to the fiscal year 2022-23. Out of this total expenditure, Nu. 45.55 billion is allocated …