Monthly Archives: December, 0

A 24-hour lockdown has been placed in 14 districts starting 5AM today. The 14 districts are Thimphu, Wangdue Phodrang, Punakha, Paro, Gasa, Haa, Chhukha, Trongsa, Bumthang, Dagana, Sarpang, Tsirang, Samtse and Zhemgang. According to a Press release from the Prime Minister’s Office, the decision comes after an expatriate worker in Wangdue Phodrang tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. The individual is suspected to have interacted with other people, some of whom may have travelled to other districts.

The defeat of Thimphu City FC by Transport United FC in the final match of the Presidents’ Cup came as a big surprise to most spectators yesterday. Without a single defeat in the entire league, Thimphu City FC were considered favourites to become Champions. But the game ended differently with Transport United being crowned the champions of the first edition of the BFF’s President’s Cup.

The valley of Wochu in Paro was once popular for its art of blacksmithing. Had it not been for the Royal Iron Craft Centre, the art would be lost. Today, it has encouraged many youths to take up the art of blacksmithing. His Majesty The King established the centre in 2016.

The farmers of Khawajara village in Tsephu-Khawakha Chiwog of Toewang Gewog in Punakha will now be able to cultivate crops in all their fields year-round with sufficient irrigation water. They finally received a Solar Water Pump after struggling for more than a decade without enough irrigation water. The farmers are now looking forward to increasing agricultural production.

It may take some more time to lift the longstanding construction moratorium for the Local Area Plan or LAP II of Damphu Town Planning in Tsirang. This is because there were some land issues with plot validation and demarcation. And the Municipal Office is working on it. The delay has left many landowners in the area frustrated. Ever since the construction moratorium in 2008, private constructions were restricted in the LAP II except for the core Damphu town area.

The Opposition Party said the government should have pursued reforms in the operation of Drayangs instead of shutting them down. The Opposition Leader, Dorji Wangdi during a press conference yesterday said the government’s decision is in contradiction to their initial plan of professionalizing the Drayangs. The Prime Minister issued an Executive Order last week asking all Drayangs to cease operations with immediate effect.

As green chillies imported from India hit the vegetable market in Gelephu, people expected to get the spice at affordable rates. However, consumers complain that the chillies in the market are still being sold at inflated prices. Meanwhile, commercial chilli farmers in the district are upset with the government’s decision to import chillies.

The health ministry will roll out the COVID-19 booster dose for the eligible population on the 24th of this month. The Health Minister said the country received 150,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine yesterday. The doses will be enough for approximately 300,000 people. The ministry will announce the booster rollout plan in the coming days.

The bye-election poll day for the National Assembly member of the Khamdang-Ramjar constituency will be held on February 3. The DPT candidate, Jigme Tashi and the DNT candidate, Karma Gyeltshen went head-to-head in the public debate on Thursday. But the voters were left disappointed after both candidates did not have any new developments they would bring into the constituency.

Amid the pandemic, Samchhoeling Green Tea growers in Trongsa have been harvesting a better yield of green tea. The growers harvested about 11,000 kilograms last year, an increase in the production by more than 22 per cent from the previous year. The growers attribute the bountiful harvest to proper care and management which helped the trees mature properly.