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As Bhutan continues to navigate its path out of the economic shadows cast by COVID-19, the renewed focus on the hotel industry through targeted interest subsidies and restructuring measures is a step in the right direction. It acknowledges that certain sectors- particularly those central to tourism and employment- require tailored support to regain momentum. However, focusing narrowly on one sector …

𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉-𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒖𝒎 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔 By Kinzang LhamoBerti, a community in Trong gewog, Zhemgang, is emerging as a promising model for sustainable rural enterprise through the efforts of its Community-based Capture Fishery Management Group (CCFMG). Supported by the Zhemgang Dzongkhag and the National Research and Development Centre for Riverine and Lake Fisheries (NRDCR&LF) in Haa …

By Yeshey DolmaBhutan is celebrated worldwide for its climate leadership. As a carbon-negative nation rich in biodiversity and guided by the philosophy of Gross National Happiness, it is often held up as a model for sustainable development. Yet beneath this international acclaim lies an urgent question: how safe are children in Bhutan from the growing threats of climate change? The …

…𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑹𝑴𝑨 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 4 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒚 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒇 By Kezang Choden Following repeated appeals from the hotel industry, the government is considering targeted financial support through the Economic Stimulus Program (ESP). The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment (MoICE), in consultation with the Royal Monetary Authority (RMA), is currently assessing the feasibility of offering …

…𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 1,300 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔 By Leki Chungdon & Yeshi Dolma Water scarcity is no longer an occasional inconvenience for many residents of rural Thimphu. It has become a daily struggle that directly affects their lives and livelihoods. While the capital city often dominates development discussions, surrounding rural gewogs- Chang, …

…𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 By Tashi Tshewang Bhutan’s TikTok-based talent show, The Unique Voice, has officially entered its third season, continuing to showcase raw singing talent from across the country. Initially launched as a digital platform to discover and uplift undiscovered vocalists, the show has grown …

…𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒐 𝑭𝑪 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑨𝑭𝑪 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝑨𝒇𝒈𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝑨𝒃𝒖 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒎 𝑭𝑪 By Tashi Tshewang Bhutan will host an AFC Challenge League Preliminary Stage match on August 12, 2025, when Paro FC, the reigning national champion, takes on Abu Muslim FC from Afghanistan at Changlimithang National Stadium in the capital. The match marks a …

…𝒁𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 41.4 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕, 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒚 𝒈𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 By Yeshey DolmaZhemgang, Bhutan’s poorest dzongkhag, continues to struggle with a poverty rate of 41.4 percent, followed by Samdrup Jongkhar at 24.7 percent and Samtse at 21.9 percent. These figures highlight the persistent challenge of rural poverty despite decades of targeted development …

…𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝑨𝑰 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑮𝑵𝑯 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 By Sonam ChodenPrime Minister Tshering Tobgay emphasized that Bhutan’s digital transformation is guided by the country’s development philosophy, the principles of Gross National Happiness (GNH). “Our digital transformation journey is guided by the belief that technology should uplift the well-being of …

Contributed by Bimal K Chetri (PhD)LecturerSherubtse College Globally, consumers and regulators are placing increasing emphasis on authenticity, safety, and traceability in herbal products. Around 80 percent of the world’s population relies on herbal medicines, contributing to a market valued at USD 148.5 billion in 2022. This market is expected to grow substantially, with forecasts predicting it will exceed USD 386 …