National News

…𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 By Kinzang Lhamo A major conservation initiative is underway in Wangsingla, Trashigang, aimed at restoring the habitat of the red panda, one of Bhutan’s most endangered and charismatic species. The Trashigang Divisional Forest Office (DFO), in collaboration with local communities and WWF-Bhutan, is leading restoration …

Tshering, Thimphu Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is a present reality that is already reshaping lives, landscapes and livelihoods across the world. Nowhere is this more visible than in fragile ecosystems such as the Himalayas. The very mountains that have long sustained civilizations are now under severe strain, as the warming atmosphere accelerates the retreat of …

…𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 By Sonam Choden Bhutan’s farms are producing more than ever. Cereal output reached 72,177 metric tonnes in 2024, an increase of nearly five percent from the previous year. Milk production rose to 44,038 metric tonnes, while butter and cheese output remained steady. These figures reflect resilience and improved farming practices. …

…𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚-𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 By Kinzang Lhamo Communities living inside Bhutan’s protected areas are turning to practical measures to cope with climate change, focusing on two pressing issues: shrinking water resources and growing human-wildlife conflict. In Langchenphu under the Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary (JWS) in Samdrupjongkhar, residents revived their only water source, Chukar Po, by restoring …

…𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 By Kezang Choden Tshering Peldon, a mother of four, has emerged as a community advocate helping unemployed youth and struggling parents secure jobs across the country. After completing the Basic Entrepreneurship Course on New Business Creation for Domestic Human Resources Service Group and Unemployed Youth …

…𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌-𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 By Tashi Tshewang The Badminton Asia South Asia Regional Championship 2025 opened on August 15 in Bhutan, graced by the Minister of Education and Skills, Lyonpo Yeezang D. Thapa, alongside other distinguished officials and dignitaries. The ceremony marked the start of a week-long sporting event bringing together …

…𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 By Leki Chungdon Members of the Environment and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) met with local leaders and stakeholders in Pemagatshel last week to gather feedback on the proposed Livestock Bill of Bhutan 2025. The consultation was held in preparation for the Third Reading of the Bill during …

…𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒄𝒐-𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 By Tashi Tshewang Farmers, artisans, and local producers were at the heart of discussions during the Regenerative Bhutan Forum (RBF), held at Dungkar Dzong in Paro from August 18 to 20. More than 200 participants, including policymakers, tourism experts, and community representatives from Bhutan and abroad, explored ways …

Behind the routine of government offices lies a largely invisible crisis: the mental wellbeing of those who run the machinery of the state. Increasing workloads, relentless deadlines, frequent transfers and a lack of recognition are taking a tangible toll on civil servants. This is not merely a private struggle; it is a matter of public concern, affecting productivity, governance quality …

By Kezang Choden The Parliament has introduced a parliamentary session calendar to improve communication with the media, enabling journalists to access timely and accurate information on legislative proceedings. The measure was announced at the conclusion of a three-day media symposium titled “The Role of Journalism in a Bhutanese Democracy,” part of the Parliament’s initiative to strengthen media engagement and ensure …