The third Pelsung cohort completed its three-month immersion programme in Gelephu today, with more than 300 Pelsups graduating. Over the past three months, the participants underwent training and practical exposure aimed at preparing them for future opportunities linked to GMC.
The programme, launched by His Majesty The King under the Gelephu Mindfulness City initiative, aims to equip Bhutanese youth with practical skills, leadership experience, innovation thinking, and project implementation capabilities while connecting them to the vision of GMC.
But the significance of the programme is increasingly being measured not by the number of graduates, but by what participants do after leaving the classroom.
One such example is Yoga Prasad Chapagai, a graduate from the first cohort, who has remained in Gelephu and is now working with Zero Waste GMC initiative.
Together with fellow Pelsups, he is leading Kachen, a climate startup that seeks to transform waste into resources, revenue, and energy. As part of its pilot phase, the team is currently helping manage waste in Gelephu over a six-month period.
Phub Dorji, the Executive Director of Pelsung, said the third cohort placed a stronger emphasis on professional readiness. Participants were grouped into five specialised streams, Innovate for GMC, Compliance, SELISE, Corporate, and SHMA, allowing them to gain experience in specific sectors and work environments.
Governor of GMC, who attended the graduation ceremony, said the city will continue tracking ideas and projects developed by Pelsups and is prepared to engage those that align with GMC’s needs. He added that, similar to the Kachen initiative, GMC is already exploring other projects proposed by participants and alumni.
For many participants, the programme provided exposure to areas they had little opportunity to explore in their professional careers.
Pelsup Nim Dorji said, “I was in the Innovate for GMC cohort. Through the programme, I learned about international standards, entrepreneurship, and new ideas that can help improve GMC while contributing to Bhutan’s economy. These are areas we rarely get exposed to in our regular civil service work.”
Pelsup Passang Wangmo said, “My professional background is in law, so entrepreneurship and business were unfamiliar areas for me. Before joining the programme, my understanding of GMC was limited to information available online. Being here allowed me to learn directly about the project and understand its vision much better.”
As Gelephu Mindfulness City continues to take shape, the demand for skilled professionals, innovators, and problem-solvers is expected to grow alongside it.
For Pelsung, the challenge now is not only to train participants, but to ensure their ideas find pathways into real-world implementation. With nearly 981 graduates produced through three cohorts and several projects already attracting GMC’s attention, the programme is gradually evolving from a training initiative into a talent pipeline for Bhutan’s most ambitious development project.
Passang Dorji
