National News

…𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 100 𝒎𝒘 𝒕𝒐 250 𝒎𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 By Tashi Tshewang Druk Green Power Corporation Limited (DGPC) and Carbon Resources Private Limited (CRPL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly explore and develop large-scale renewable energy projects in Bhutan, marking another step toward strengthening the country’s clean …

…𝒔𝒎𝒐𝒈 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 By Yeshi Dolma At 7 a.m., Sonam steps outside her home in Thimphu and immediately coughs. The mountains usually crisp and clear in the morning sun, are obscured by a grey haze. Her chest feels tight, and she hesitates before beginning her walk to school. Across …

A nation’s budget is not simply a record of revenue and expenditure. It reflects priorities, governance choices, and a society’s vision for its future. Each allocation signals what is valued, whether in education, health, infrastructure, or social welfare, and shows how public resources are directed to achieve national objectives. Yet, without clear accountability, even well-intended policies can fail to deliver …

…𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔. By Kinzang LhamoConcerns over the social and economic impact of the revised Thimphu Structure Plan were raised in Parliament after the Member of Parliament from Gangzur–Menji constituency questioned the government on the implications of increasing the minimum plot subdivision size in the capital and its surrounding areas. The …

…𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒔, 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 By Yeshi DolmaDuring the 4th Session of the Fourth Parliament, lawmakers engaged in rigorous scrutiny of the FY 2025–26 national budget, raising concerns over a proposed fiscal deficit of 6.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), government-led commercial ventures, and the transparency of social and infrastructure programmes. Finance Minister …

…𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊-𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒚 By Kinzang LhamoAs Bhutan accelerates its digital transformation, concerns over harmful and inappropriate online content have become increasingly prominent. In response, the National Assembly has passed a resolution mandating zero tolerance toward pornographic and violent online materials. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment (MoICE), tasked with implementing this mandate, recently …

…𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒆 𝒖𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒖𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒕𝒉 By Sonam ChodenDebate is intensifying over Bhutan’s three-storey building limit as towns like Gedu, Tsimasham, and Doksum grapple with its economic and development impact. A recent report by the Environment and Climate Change Committee to the National Assembly on the Building Height Restriction Policy (G+2 limits) …

…𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑪𝑬𝑭 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 By Tashi Tshewang The Dagana Dzongkhag Administration has formally acknowledged and celebrated the launch of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) supported NectarNest – Honey Production initiative in Laja Gewog, a project aimed at empowering rural youth and strengthening local economic opportunities. The programme, led by a …

…𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒛𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒌𝒉𝒂𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 By Leki Chungdon Gasa Dzongkhag officially took over the management of health facilities from Gasa Hospital Administration today at the Dzongkhag Conference Hall. During the ceremony, the 10-bedded Gasa Hospital, along with primary health centres, was formally handed over to the Dzongkhag Administration, marking a …

The discussion around alcohol misuse has rarely been as urgent or as visible as it is today. When a nation collectively faces rising rates of alcohol consumption, linked health crises, social disruptions, and economic losses, the response must be comprehensive, evidence-driven, and sustained. Recent investigations have highlighted a reality that many already suspected: alcohol is no longer confined to ritualistic …