BHUTAN TODAY The New Perspective

…𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒛𝒐𝒏𝒈’𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕-𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒛𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒌𝒉𝒂𝒈 By Kinzang Lhamo The plan to construct a new Samtse Dzong has once again been deferred, this time to the 14th Five Year Plan (FYP), leaving local leaders and residents deeply frustrated as the dzongkhag continues to face cramped working conditions, inadequate space for public services, and the …

…𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒙 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 By Sonam Choden In recent years, ginger producers in the southern parts of Bhutan have faced a significant drop in farm-gate prices, falling from Nu 60 per kilogram in the previous year to Nu 15–25 per kilogram in the current season. The decline has …

Bhutan stands at a pivotal moment in its demographic journey. The country’s population is aging rapidly, reflecting significant progress in health care and living standards. While increased life expectancy is a clear mark of development, it also signals emerging challenges that demand urgent and thoughtful action. Bhutan is poised to become an aging society within a few years, and the …

…𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏-𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 By Yeshi DolmaFor decades, 18 was widely accepted as the minimum legal age for marriage in Bhutan. Schools enforced it, awareness campaigns promoted it, and courts generally followed it. Yet one important element lagged behind: the law itself. The Marriage Act of 1980 allowed girls to marry as …

…𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒃𝒚 2027 By Kezang ChodenDasho Tshering Tobgay, the Prime Minister, described country’s rapidly aging population as a positive indicator of the country’s development but cautioned that it could present serious challenges if current demographic trends continue. He was responding to a question …