BHUTAN TODAY The New Perspective

By Kezang Choden In a nationwide effort to assess the forest sector’s contribution to country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Natural Resources and Environment Committee (NREC) convened a series of stakeholder meetings across six dzongkhags- Wangdue Phodrang, Bumthang, Mongar, Pemagatshel, Chukha, and Haa-between April 22 and May 5, 2024. The meetings brought together representatives from the Divisional Forest Office (DFO), …

…𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆, 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒔. By Kinzang LhamoDuring the 11th Meet-the-Press session on December 27, 2024, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport announced plans to relocate the Thimphu cremation ground to a new site in Hongtsho, approximately ten kilometers towards Wangdue Phodrang. …

…𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒖𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 By Kezang ChodenThe Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) is set to introduce significant reforms in the education sector, including the finalization of a National Teaching Service (NTS) framework and a potential shift to the Cambridge Curriculum. These initiatives are part of a broader strategy to …

The 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has sparked renewed interest in the state of media freedom in Bhutan. While the country’s ranking plummeted to 152nd, the reasoning offered in the report- particularly its assertion that 80 percent of private newspapers’ advertising revenue comes from government agencies and is allocated based on proximity to power- was …

…𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒈𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑫𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑾𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒖𝒆 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈 By Sonam Choden Infrastructure development plays a critical and multifaceted role in enhancing regional connectivity, fostering socio-economic growth, and improving access to essential public services, particularly in rural and underserved communities where isolation has historically limited development …