BHUTAN TODAY The New Perspective

The perception that Bhutan’s economy has recovered from the pandemic is misleading. A closer look reveals a slowdown in consumer activity, increasing reports of businesses operating with little or no revenue, and a rising number of loan defaults. These are not temporary symptoms but signals of deeper structural weaknesses and persistent demand-side constraints that warrant immediate policy intervention. One such …

…𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏-𝒕𝒐-𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒆𝒔 By Yeshi DolmaIn a quiet room inside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Gyaltsuen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck Mother and Child Hospital, a young mother holds her tiny newborn against her chest. There are no monitors beeping loudly or incubators buzzing- just warmth, breath, and life supported by the …

…𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒉-𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒗𝒖𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒔 By Zhenphen chokdenAn alarming surge in counterfeit Bhutanese banknotes, particularly fake Nu. 500 bills, has stirred concern among financial institutions, law enforcement, and small business owners across the country. While the total number of incidents remains limited, the implications are significant, undermining public trust in the national currency, hurting small …

…𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒚 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆, 𝒂𝒈𝒆-𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔 By Yeshi DolmaThe Ministry of Health(MoH) officially launched the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health and Healthy Ageing (RMNCAH+A) Strategy 2025-2029, reaffirming Bhutan’s commitment to promoting health and wellbeing across all stages of life, from preconception through old age on May …

Bhutan’s challenging terrain has long shaped the country’s development priorities. Roads remain the backbone of connectivity, but they are often vulnerable to monsoon disruptions and landslides. In this context, the government’s decision to explore domestic airstrips is a practical and forward-thinking step. With technical assessments completed for two sites in Samtse and Samdrup Jongkhar, the initiative represents a broader shift …