January of 2019

Archives

The strongest and the fastest at the foothills festival

Festival

Jan 30, 2019 3 mins read 776 views
BAFRA seizes 11MT of banned vegetables since July 2016

Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA)

Jan 30, 2019 1 mins read 653 views
A country boy of Sha Khothakha

Priority Sector Lending (PSL)

Jan 30, 2019 2 mins read 706 views
Turning a blind eye on illegal import of vegetables?

Letter to the editor

Jan 30, 2019 1 mins read 756 views
Need to raise hygiene and patient care standards

Editorial

Jan 30, 2019 2 mins read 0 views
Need to raise hygiene and patient care standards

Editorial

Jan 30, 2019 2 mins read 760 views
HC orders JPLP owner to pay Nu 126.879M for tax evasion

Tax

Jan 30, 2019 3 mins read 652 views
LG given budgetary flexibility in 12th Plan

Local Government (LG)

Jan 30, 2019 3 mins read 622 views
Cut off point for Class X is off

Education

Jan 30, 2019 3 mins read 856 views
Meet the Opposition

Meet the Press

Jan 30, 2019 0 mins read 0 views
Celebrating diversity at the Foothills Festival

Festival

Jan 29, 2019 3 mins read 722 views
Study finds poor hand hygiene compliance at JDWNRH's wards

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH)

Jan 29, 2019 3 mins read 733 views
Who is responsible for short circuits, the main cause of fire incidents?

Letter to the editor

Jan 29, 2019 1 mins read 929 views
Making graduates employable

Editorial

Jan 29, 2019 2 mins read 695 views
BIABPO targets 3,000 jobs by 2023

Bhutan Industry Association for Business Process Outsourcing (BIABPO)

Jan 29, 2019 2 mins read 596 views
Bhutan moves a rank up in Corruption Perceptions Index

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC)

Jan 29, 2019 3 mins read 677 views
Runaway prisoners arrested in Arong

Prison

Jan 29, 2019 1 mins read 635 views
MHPA readies to be commissioned

Hydropower

Jan 29, 2019 1 mins read 722 views
Students perform poorly in Commerce and Economics subjects

Bhutan Council of School Examination and Assessment (BCSEA)

Jan 29, 2019 3 mins read 586 views
Plastics to be banned again

Ban

Jan 29, 2019 0 mins read 649 views
9-year-old completes cross-country cycling race

Cycling race

Jan 31, 2019 1 mins read 543 views
Exchange programme to support table tennis players

Table Tennis

Jan 31, 2019 1 mins read 587 views
Opposition questions govt's vision and plans

Press conference

Jan 31, 2019 3 mins read 613 views
How about concrete electric fencing posts?

Letter to the editor

Jan 31, 2019 1 mins read 602 views
Plastic ban must be taken seriously

Editorial

Jan 31, 2019 1 mins read 601 views
Japan donates medical equipment to JDWNRH

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH)

Jan 31, 2019 2 mins read 612 views
Government confused on wage rate

Government

Jan 31, 2019 2 mins read 644 views
Admission to Class XI on merit basis

Education

Jan 31, 2019 2 mins read 624 views
Free education up to Class XII may breach the Constitution: Opposition

Education

Jan 31, 2019 3 mins read 556 views
Schools reopen today

Schools

Jan 31, 2019 0 mins read 540 views
TT teams from Japan to visit Bhutan

Table Tennis

Jan 28, 2019 1 mins read 589 views
U-18 air rifle championship witnesses over 25 participants

Air rifle

Jan 28, 2019 1 mins read 675 views
Mandarin export records slight increase this season

Mandarin

Jan 28, 2019 1 mins read 561 views
Works on to expand Gelephu thromde

Gelephu thromde

Jan 28, 2019 2 mins read 620 views
BizAP to support entrepreneurs

Business Acceleration Programme (BizAP)

Jan 28, 2019 2 mins read 608 views
All well with first NA session

National Assembly

Jan 28, 2019 3 mins read 587 views
Where is the garbage collection truck?

Letter to the editor

Jan 28, 2019 1 mins read 586 views
Strengthen local governments first

Editorial

Jan 28, 2019 2 mins read 586 views
Nima and Dawa Palden to return home next month

Conjoined twins

Jan 28, 2019 1 mins read 620 views
Safety practices poor at workplace

Seminar

Jan 28, 2019 2 mins read 641 views
Pedestrians too are causing traffic jams

Traffic jams

Jan 28, 2019 1 mins read 577 views
Two inmates escape from Lungzor prison

Prison

Jan 28, 2019 2 mins read 584 views
Creation of new SOEs expensive for the state

State-owned enterprises (SOEs)

Jan 28, 2019 2 mins read 562 views
Class 12 results

Education

Jan 28, 2019 0 mins read 633 views
Ugyen Academy crowned champions of Samtse Championship

Football

Jan 27, 2019 2 mins read 626 views
Preparation in full swing for foothills festival

Festival

Jan 27, 2019 2 mins read 589 views
Goede and Tharpei Lam pedestrianised

Road

Jan 27, 2019 1 mins read 547 views
Seven years without a Tshogpa

Tshogpa

Jan 27, 2019 2 mins read 598 views
Don't raise your hand

National Assembly

Jan 27, 2019 2 mins read 588 views
Browse Archives
The house that must never be empty

It has been less than a month since Rinchen Yangzom moved into the Bjarpa community house beside Ngangla Lhakhang in Ngangla Trong. For the next three years, this is her home. She cannot leave it for a single day.

Jun 10, 2026 3 mins read 3,201 views
Empowering women through waste upcycling

After receiving training from Women’s Self-Support Group on Waste Management in 2023 on crafting new products from plastic waste, Jamyang Choden, 44, from Lhuentse, decided to give it a try.

Jun 10, 2026 2 mins read 2,304 views
Educated Tshogpa paves way for younger highlanders

An educated youth has shattered traditional age boundaries to get elected as Tshogpa, completely rewriting what leadersh...

Jun 10, 2026 2 mins read 2,544 views
NA directs talks on reducing high lending rates to ease burden

Banks in the country maintain high lending rates and low returns on deposits, which continue to strain businesses, parti...

Jun 10, 2026 2 mins read 5,916 views
BLDCL at loggerheads with private retail outlets and distributors

Private livestock dealers claim a state-owned corporation lured them into investing, only to turn around and aggressivel...

Jun 10, 2026 5 mins read 3,056 views
DoT spends 85 percent of budget, but key infrastructure projects lag behind

The Department of Tourism spent over 85 per cent of its budget, yet critical tourism infrastructure is still lagging. Wh...

Jun 10, 2026 4 mins read 4,547 views
NC supports Renewable Energy Tax Exemption Bill

Are we giving away massive corporate tax exemptions until 2040 without a fallback plan? While the government pushes forw...

Jun 10, 2026 2 mins read 2,052 views
Finance minister rules out flexible, instalment-based property tax system

The Ministry of Finance rejected a proposal to allow property taxpayers to make payments throughout the fiscal year as a...

Jun 10, 2026 2 mins read 1,795 views
Safety gaps expose industrial workers to occupational cancers

As the country’s industrial sector expands, workers are increasingly being exposed to cancer-causing substances amid low...

Jun 10, 2026 4 mins read 1,671 views
SMCL restores paddy field damaged by mine-related erosion in Samdrupjongkhar

The State Mining Corporation Limited (SMCL) has restored a paddy field in Phuntshothang Gewog, Samdrupjongkhar, that was...

Jun 10, 2026 1 mins read 1,679 views
NC endorses annual budget as per NA

The National Council yesterday deliberated on the National Budget Report for FY 2026–27, the Budget Appropriation Bill for FY 2026–27, and the Supplementary Budget Appropriation Bill for FY 2025–26.

Jun 09, 2026 2 mins read 1,687 views
Bhutan to pilot green finance taxonomy from June

Bhutan will begin testing its expanded Green Finance Taxonomy 2026 with a six-month pilot from June to November, before...

May 30, 2026 3 mins read 4,118 views
Stop recording, start living

Like television, the internet, and AI, TikTok can be a force for good or bad. It entirely depends on how it is used.

Jun 13, 2026 4 mins read 515 views
Stop recording, start living

Like television, the internet, and AI, TikTok can be a force for good or bad. It entirely depends on how it is used.

Jun 06, 2026 4 mins read 794 views
Ask Mr Bhutan: “Money can’t buy happiness.” Is it true, when everything is dependent on money?

Once born into a physical body, there are certain absolute necessities without which most of us are incapable of experie...

May 30, 2026 2 mins read 1,384 views
Duchen Nga Zom: What a butter lamp and a few flower petals can teach us

Duchen Nga Zom is a duzom—an auspicious convergence of sacred time within the Buddhist calendar, marked by the meeting o...

May 30, 2026 4 mins read 1,219 views
The virus, the fear, and the freedom beyond both

Hantavirus is not a single virus but a family of rodent-borne viruses that occasionally spill over into humans, sometime...

May 24, 2026 4 mins read 1,555 views
Whose face are you wearing?

The desire for happiness is universal, and beauty, prestige, and wealth have always been seen as pathways to achieve it. In that sense, this is nothing new.

May 16, 2026 4 mins read 1,977 views
A memoir of hustle and heartache

May 11, 2026 3 mins read 2,566 views
From monastery to street: A Bhutanese case for rap

May 11, 2026 4 mins read 2,319 views
Café by the waterfall

About six kilometres before Trongsa town, just past the Bjee Zam Bridge, a traditional one-storey house appears on the left of the highway. It is not easy to miss. This modest structure...

May 02, 2026 2 mins read 2,970 views
Where tradition meets treatment

In Bhutan, healing is not a choice between past and present but a collaboration between the two. Across the country, patients move between modern clinics and traditional medicine units with ease, guided as much by...

May 02, 2026 3 mins read 2,726 views
Reform or stay shut

The closure of drayangs (entertainment centres) is an issue that most sensible Bhutanese, except perhaps the operators, have supported. While the current government may have pledged during the campaign to review the previous government’s decision to shut them down, any sane government should not back down from that closure.

Jun 13, 2026 2 mins read 908 views
Overseas employment isn’t the solution

The conflict in the Middle East has once again exposed our dependence on overseas employment as a pressure valve for domestic unemployment.

Jun 10, 2026 2 mins read 1,349 views
United for Project 108

Bhutanese, friends of Bhutan, and our well-wishers are willingly answering the call to fulfill the Royal vision of erecting 108 Jangchub Choetens along the Mao Chhu in Gelephu Mindfulnes...

Jun 06, 2026 2 mins read 741 views
Banks can unlock growth through affordable credit

Financial institutions are the lifeblood of any modern economy. They mobilise savings, allocate capital, manage risk, an...

Jun 03, 2026 3 mins read 2,039 views
A missed opportunity

The Thromde election process has begun, with the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) notifying registered voters in Thimphu and Phuentsholing thromdes who are eligible for postal v...

May 30, 2026 2 mins read 1,757 views
Chain-link fencing: somebody’s gain, another’s loss

Chain-link fencing is perhaps one of the most viable solutions policymakers have managed to narrow down in the long and...

May 27, 2026 2 mins read 1,953 views
Fixing and fine-tuning GST regime

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime was never going to be an easy transition. Major tax reforms rarely are. Introduced in January this year, GST was envisioned as a modern tax system, replacing an outdated framework...

May 23, 2026 2 mins read 2,359 views
Insolvency law, a long overdue

Bhutan’s economy has changed dramatically since the Bankruptcy Act of 1999 was enacted. Back then, the private sector was small, cross-border trade was limited, and the financial system was far less complex.

May 20, 2026 3 mins read 2,265 views
GMC was a masterstroke

The conflict in the Middle East, which has disrupted the global economy and fueled uncertainties, has led investors to question whether oil-rich nations remain a safe haven. As the confl...

May 16, 2026 2 mins read 4,853 views
Fighting online scams

The digital age has transformed Bhutanese society in ways unimaginable in just a decade or two. Social media and online platforms have opened enormous opportunities for communication,...

May 13, 2026 2 mins read 2,341 views
Startups call for support beyond seed funding

The country’s startup ecosystem has helped many young entrepreneurs launch their businesses, but founders say support be...

Mar 21, 2026 3 mins read 6,702 views
National debt to rise by 26%, reaching Nu 380 billion in June

The country’s national debt is expected to rise by nearly 26 percent this June compared to June last year.

Feb 25, 2026 2 mins read 8,113 views
Economy uncoils for strongest growth in years

The Year of the Snake became a defining moment for the country’s economy, as growth accelerated sharply following severa...

Feb 18, 2026 4 mins read 8,305 views
Tax system sees major changes and initiatives

The Wood Female Snake Year brought major tax reforms in the country with the passage of the Income Tax Act of Bhutan 202...

Feb 18, 2026 2 mins read 8,716 views
Government, telecos at odds over 50% data price cut

Jan 31, 2026 2 mins read 15,971 views
Between Homes

When I first arrived in Australia last year, I thought I was prepared. I had spoken to people, watched videos, and tried...

May 02, 2026 1 mins read 6,934 views
The true wealth of Dzambhala

The name Dzambhala — from the Sanskrit Jambhala — is traditionally associated with wealth and prosperity, reflecting his...

May 02, 2026 4 mins read 2,650 views
No amount of money can replace you

The early years — roughly birth to five — are critical for emotional development. While a child raised with consistency...

Apr 25, 2026 4 mins read 5,206 views
You’re not what you think you are

You are not alone in your confusion — and much of it arises from the word itself. Emptiness can sound like nothingness,...

Apr 18, 2026 4 mins read 4,218 views
Sundays at Le Méridien

The monthly Sunday brunch at Le Méridien has become a special experience that goes beyond dining, offering guests a rela...

Apr 13, 2026 3 mins read 3,898 views
ཕུན་ཚོགས་གླིང་གི་ཁྲོམ་སྡེ་ནང་ སྡོད་ཁྱིམ་མ་ལང་མི་དེ་ སྲིད་བྱུས་དང་ ཁྱིམ་བཟོ་ག་གི་འཐུས་ཤོར་ཨིན་ན།

༉ ཕུན་ཚོགས་གླིང་གི་ ལུང་ཕྱོགས་ནང་ སྡོད་ཁྱིམ་ལངམ་སྦེ་མེད་པའི་ དཀའ་ངལ་ལུ་བརྟེན་ འབྲུག་པའི་མི་ཁུངས་མང་ཤོས་ཅིག་ ས་མཚམས་ཕྱི་ཁ...

May 11, 2026 6 mins read 2,949 views
When will we feed ourselves?

May 09, 2026 2 mins read 2,802 views
Fuel crisis demands more than subsidies

Recent developments in the Middle East crisis suggest that a return to normalcy is still far away. Even if the war ends...

May 02, 2026 3 mins read 3,832 views
Demographic crisis demands bold reforms

Bhutan is facing a “national crisis” as birth rates plunge by 62.9 percent. If current trends continue, the country coul...

Apr 29, 2026 2 mins read 6,978 views

Recents

RAA uncovers major procurement lapses in the Nu 610M BITS projects

A Special Audit Report by the Royal Audit Authority (RAA) has identified significant procurement, planning, and governance failures in the Bhutan Integrated Taxation System (BITS 1.0), concluding that the project failed to achieve its intended objectives and resulted in substantial wasteful and avoidable expenditure of public funds.

Read More

What solutions for Amochu project?

Phuentsholing—Erratic climatic conditions combined with changing geological patterns have turned the developing Amochu township area into a recurring flood-prone zone in recent years, with the latest disruption occurring even before the onset of the monsoon.

Read More

RCSC faces growing ‘missing middle’ amid exodus

A widening shortage of mid-career civil servants is creating what officials describe as a “missing middle” across government agencies, raising concerns about leadership succession, institutional continuity and the long-term resilience of the country’s public sector workforce.

Read More

Reform or stay shut

The closure of drayangs (entertainment centres) is an issue that most sensible Bhutanese, except perhaps the operators, have supported. While the current government may have pledged during the campaign to review the previous government’s decision to shut them down, any sane government should not back down from that closure.

Read More