Thinley Namgay
Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) for the fourth parliamentary election pledges to maintain an average economic growth rate of eight percent in five years.
Ensuring economic growth and maintaining peace, security, and sovereignty of the country are two main objectives of the party based on its founding principles of equity and justice.
DPT has identified private sector development as one of the focuses to improve the economy. The party pledges to promote entrepreneurship, cottage and small industries, tax reforms, and streamline business regulations, among others.
DPT’s manifestoes in detail here!
Economy
DPT promises to establish three new mega hydropower projects and also complete the ongoing hydropower projects such as Punatsangchhu I at the earliest. The Tourism Sustainable Development Fee would be revisited to make it more practical for both tourists and the country.
The party pledges to revise the National Export Strategy and improve and ease customs and trade procedures.
Communications
While the remaining southern east-west highway will be constructed the party has pledged to complete the widening of the northern east-west highway and make all dzongkhag highways double-lane roads.
The gewog centre road maintenance will be handed over to the Department of Surface Transport. Alternate routes and bypasses will be constructed, as well as blacktop major chiwog roads. The party also pledges to work closely with the Taxi Association of Bhutan and the Truckers Association of Bhutan to address their concerns.
The party assures to expand network and ensure 100 percent reliable cellular network coverage, secure the Third Internet Gateway, explore the possibility of one more telecom operator, and establish IT parks.
Agriculture
DPT also vows to provide regular clean drinking water for both urban and rural areas.
For agriculture development, the party pledges to ensure adequate irrigation water supply, establish processing, marketing and cold storage facilities, start Special Agricultural Zones, provide chain-link fencing and develop appropriate insurance and compensation schemes.
Education
If DPT is elected, Saturday will be declared a holiday for teachers and students, the Individual Work Plan for teachers will be reviewed, and also achieve 100 percent ECCD coverage.
Providing five doctors for dzongkhag hospitals, an ambulance for primary health centres in the gewogs, and state support for couples with three or more children are some of the health pledges.
Health and population
To boost the population, the party will introduce family-friendly policies that support families such as providing affordable childcare, parental leave, and flexible working hours.
Civil Service
Considering the study period as active service, giving three years of business leave, a home ownership scheme, and supporting the pursuit of undergraduate programmes are some of the pledges to encourage civil servants.
Environment, climate change and waste management
To protect the environment and combat climate change, DPT pledges to maintain Bhutan as a carbon-neutral country, ensure forest coverage at 60 percent at all times, and make Bhutan one of the cleanest countries in the world. The party will put in place a comprehensive strategy to ensure proper waste management.
Social development
The party commits to revising the rural life insurance scheme.
The party would initiate social programmes to strengthen the extended family structure and inculcate intergenerational responsibility to help senior citizens. They also pledges to increase the monthly pension payments for retired citizens and explore support schemes for other senior citizens to ensure a more comfortable and dignified life.
DPT pledges to make a reliable strategic framework to collaborate with CSOs, and provide operational freedom to CSOs ensuring the protection of their freedom of association, expression, and assembly.
Cross-cutting issues
DPT pledges to strengthen laws and policies to promote gender equality and mainstream gender issues and ensure that all gender violence survivors have access to appropriate support and services.
The party promises to strengthen laws and policies to ease barriers and challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community and reduce overall crime rates and the number of people coming into conflict with laws by 50 percent.
To promote sports, DPT will establish four regional sports centres.
Like other four parties’ pledges, the DPT manifesto aligns with the draft 13th Plan and the major pledges are aimed at making Bhutan’s economy worth Nu 5,000 billion by 2029 and a Nu 10 billion by 2034.