His Majesty The King graced the opening ceremony of the second session of the Third Parliament at the Gyalyong Tshokhang today. His Majesty was accompanied by Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen.
Upon the arrival at the courtyard of the Gyalyong Tshokhang, His Majesty The King was received in a traditional chipdrel ceremony by the Prime Minister, National Assembly Speaker, National Council Chairperson, cabinet ministers, and the members of parliament (MPs).
This was followed by Zhugdrel Phuensum Tsohgpai ceremony in the Gyalyong Tshokhang.
The Speaker on behalf of the parliamentarians thanked His Majesty The King for gracing the opening ceremony. He also congratulated His Majesty for receiving a Special Award of Recognition from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to honour His Majesty’s leadership in advancing human development, and the wellbeing and happiness of the people of Bhutan.
The Speaker thanked His Majesty for granting citizenship to 359 people in March this year and for granting kidu to people affected by disasters across the country.
On behalf of the parliament, he then thanked His Majesty for granting undergraduate scholarships to 144 class 12 graduate students and for the appointments of chairperson and commissioners of the Royal Civil Service Commission.
He also thanked His Majesty for giving the opportunity to the MPs to attend the leadership programme in the Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies (RIGSS) in Phuntshogling and the De-Suung programmes in Tencholing. And also on the successful graduation of the first batch of specialists from the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan.
The Speaker also thanked His Holiness the Je Khenpo for conducting religious prayers for the country and for the victims of bombings in Sri Lanka. The speaker, on behalf of the parliament, expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for his successful visit to Bangladesh.
The second session of the Third Parliament will see the National Assembly table the Mines and Minerals Management Act of Bhutan, Annual Budget for the fiscal year 2019 and 2020, pay commission’s report and Anti-Corruption Commission annual report for 2018 among others.
