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Q&A with Tshering Wangchuk, STCBL CEO By Puran Gurung Question 1: As the country’s main trading arm – what are some of your plans for State Trading Corporation Limited of Bhutan (STCBL) in the coming years? One focus that the STCBL will undertake over the next few years is setting up Fuel Retail Outlets (FPO) in the 20 Dzongkhags. Apart …

With the increase in the number of mobile users in the country there is a requirement for a reliable network where it entails the increase in the number of cellular towers called Base Transceiver Station (BTS). More BTS need to be installed, especially in urban areas near the settlement, building and public areas. And people express concerns that the exposure …

By Puran Gurung In the rebuttal, the Royal Bhutan Police on the ongoing defamation case it lodged against a private businessman, Penjore Penjore submitted to the court that matters of public interest should be reported to the concerned authority and not post on Facebook. Reiterating the first hearing, the Royal Bhutan Police prosecutor argued that Penjore Penjore Facebook post may …

By Puran Gurung In Anti-Corruption Commission’s Annual Report (2020-2021) – the commission registered highest complaints against gewog administrations that qualified for investigation. ACC reported that the commission in terms of agency, it received highest complaints against gewog administration with 15 complaints, followed by 10 complaints against ministries and then nine complaints against corporations. There were four complaints against Thromdes and …

Citing the government’s stand on strict quarantine measures, any variant that may come as long as the incubation period doesn’t vary, no virus can affect the country, says the Prime Minister. This is regarding the increasing cases of Omicron, a variant of concern declared by the World Health Organization and the concerns on preparedness for the new variant Omicron if …

By Staff Reporter In a milestone for Bhutan, finance minister Namgay Tshering will step in as the Chair of the Small States Forum (a group of 50 countries) and as one of the Vice Chairs of the Board of Governors of the World Bank Group. Bhutan, as the current chair, will lead the forum that brings together finance ministers and …

The move is driven by Bhutan’s desire to enhance digital and cross-border payments. By Staff Reporter The Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) has partnered with Ripple to use its infrastructure to pilot a central bank digital currency. According to an announcement from Ripple, the move is set to expand the country’s financial inclusion efforts and extend its commitment to sustainability as it aims to become …

However, if the allegations labeled against him are found untrue, the Director could counter-charge the accuser for defamation By Tashi Namgyal/Thimphu The Director accused of sexual harassment of a female employee under Bhutan Power Corporation (BPC) has been suspended by the company after the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company issued a suspension order late last Friday. According to …

WFP study on the impact and plan of action for potential earthquakes is the first ever model in Bhutan for humanitarian planning By Tashi Namgyal The Himalayan region has amongst the highest earthquake risk globally, with recent moderate-sized events resulting in tens of thousands of casualties. Despite this, understanding of earthquake risk in the region is limited, particularly in Bhutan, …

While the two parliament houses remain on a deadlock, exporters shout-out for their provisional rights over the mining sector By Tashi Namgyal By the look of things, the much disputed Mines and Minerals Bill 2020 will have to take a hefty ride down the tunnel to be resolved for good. While the National Assembly (NA) favors a private-sector induced mining …