Thinley Namgay

His Majesty the King graced the closing ceremony of the second session of the Fourth Parliament yesterday in Thimphu.

The session ended with remarks from the Prime Minister, National Council’s (NC) Chairperson, Opposition Leader, and the Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), followed by Zhabten and Trashi-Moelam for the good health and well-being of His Majesty the King, Royal Family members, and continued peace, prosperity, and security in the country.

Speaker Lungten Dorji expressed gratitude to His Majesty the King for gracing the closing ceremony despite a busy schedule.

The Speaker, Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, and NC Chairperson expressed gratitude to His Majesty for the successful passing out of the first batch of 2,001 Gyalsups from the four Gyalsung Centres, who were instilled with good values and skills to shoulder greater responsibility for the country.

They also expressed gratitude to His Majesty the King for spearheading the works of Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC).

They also thanked His Holiness the Je Khenpo and all Lhatruel for their continued blessings for the country and the people.

Regarding GMC, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay emphasised that all Bhutanese should carry individual responsibility with utmost dedication and integrity to help His Majesty the King fulfill the ongoing GMC project, which is crucial for maintaining security, sovereignty, and economic development in the country.

The session deliberated four Bills: The Cattle Tax Exemption Bill of Bhutan 2024, The Marriage Act (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2024, The National Assembly (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2024, and the Parliament Entitlements (Amendment) Bill 2024.

The Cattle Tax Exemption Bill 2024 was passed, and it will be submitted for Royal Assent.

The Marriage Act (Amendment) Bill 2024 and the National Assembly (Amendment) Bill 2024 will be deliberated in the joint sitting and submitted to His Majesty the King for Command.

The Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill 2024 was withdrawn in the first reading. Finance Minister Lekey Dorji cited challenges faced with the Bhutan Integrated Taxation system and the government’s focus on prioritising economic recovery.

The government will review the Parliament Entitlements (Amendment) Bill 2024 along with a motion adopted for the amendment of the Pay Structure Reform Act of Bhutan 2022, and report on its review during the third session of the Fourth Parliament.

The Parliamentary Entitlements (Amendment) Bill 2024 was deferred during its third reading, considering the need for further discussion.

In this session, 38 questions were asked to relevant ministers, covering a broad range of issues.

The NA Committees also moved and adopted four motions and four recommendations for necessary action by the relevant ministries.

The motions and recommendations adopted include the requirement of a Pension Act, amendments to the Pay Structure Reform Act 2022, amendments to the Property Tax Act 2023, and amendments to the Procurement Rules.

Recommendations were also made on the Economic Stimulus Plan, revitalising the College of Language and Culture Studies, crime prevention and reduction, and student intake in Royal University of Bhutan Colleges.

The action taken reports on the First Session were reported to the House, such as reports on the motions adopted to establish the crop and livestock compensation trust fund, healthcare services improvement, inconvenience caused by electric wires and poles falling in farmlands, review of RCSC’s MaX system and its forced ranking system, and reintroducing the constituency development grant.

The Public Accounts Committee reviewed and reported on the Performance Audit Report on the operations of the State Mining Corporation Limited, and the Good Governance Committee presented its review report on the annual report of the Anti-Corruption Commission for 2023-2024.