Monthly Archives: December, 0

Her Majesty the Queen Mother Sangay Choden Wangchuck has graced the launch of a series of national survey reports on Bhutanese textiles.

The council member of Gasa, MP Dorji Khandu will be suspended from the deliberations and adoption of the Pay Structure Reform Bill of Bhutan 2022. This is following an issue that arose in the House between the Chairperson and the MP while deliberating on the Pay Structure Reform Bill. The Chairperson dismissed the MP from the session today.

Nazhoen Lamtoen’s Children’s Halfway Home, the only children’s shelter in the country is facing a dearth of space. Due to the space crunch, it is unable to provide separate facilities for children in need of different support. The shelter supports and provides aftercare services to children in conflict with the law and children in difficult circumstances.

To provide children from remote schools with a fun learning experience and exposure through football, the Bhutan Football Federation initiated the first-ever Bridge the Gap programme in the capital. Fifty-two students aged seven to eleven are participating in the programme. The five-day programme ended today.

The government has started work to draft the 13th Five-Year Plan and it will be ready by May next year. Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said this during the question-answer session at the National Assembly today. The Prime Minister said the 13th Five-Year Plan which will be developed in line with the ongoing transformation will be inclusive and different from the previous plans. Moreover, it will be the first Five Year Plan after Bhutan graduates from the category of least developed countries. The Opposition Leader had questioned the Prime Minister about the status of drafting the 13th Five-Year Plan.

There is no petrol in the fuel depot of Gyalpoizhing in Monggar since yesterday. The erratic fuel supply is affecting the residents of Gyalpoizhing and nearby gewogs. According to the Manager of the fuel depot, they get a monthly quota of 20,000 litres from the Indian Oil Corporation through the Regional Office of Economic Affairs based in Monggar. However, the quota is not enough to last a month. The manager says the depot will be restocked by Thursday as they have already requested an additional quota of fuel supply through the Regional Office of Economic Affairs. He also said the fuel supply got delayed since there is a supply shortage from the source.

The National Council has accepted the Good Governance Committee's recommendation to retain the communication allowance under the Pay Structure Reform Bill. Except for the Gasa MP who was dismissed from the session, no members objected to the committee's recommendation. The committee says the officials entitled to the allowance deserve it and therefore should be given in accordance with the draft Bill. Earlier the National Assembly decided to do away with the communication allowance along with internet data charges. 

The blacktopping and widening works along the 51 Kilometre road from Wanakha in Paro to Haa are expected to be completed by the end of May next year. The Minister of Works and Human Settlement Dorji Tshering said this when the Member of Parliament of Bji Kar Tshog Uesu in Haa asked the minister about the progress of works. The minister added that as of now, 99 per cent of the widening work has been completed along with the blacktopping on 10-kilometre stretch of the road. The minister also informed the house that the government has plans to widen the Paro-Haa highway via the Chelela pass.

In this digital era, skilling young people in digital literacy has become important. Having such skills will address the unemployment issue and encourage the...

Farmers of Khurjungla-Langmizi chiwog of Nahi Gewog in Wangdue Phodrang have now added maize to their list of cash crops. This happened after they received a machine in September which can pound maize to make flattened corn. The machine has encouraged them to grow maize on a larger scale now. Until now they have been depending on vegetables and fruits as a source of livelihood. The village is also the first in the district to have such a machine.