National News

…Reforms open doors for multiple attempts in Bhutan Civil Service Examinations, expanding talent pool and empowering aspiring youth By Phurpa WangmoIn a significant development, the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) announced amendments to certain sections of the Bhutan Civil Service Rules and Regulations 2018 during its 183rd Commission Meeting held on May 23, 2023.According to the revised Section 7.3.2.2, candidates …

…Citizens Disheartened as Drainage Woes Remain Unresolved, Thromde Urged to Address Pressing Issue By Sonam DekiAs the monsoon season sets in, the capital faces a mounting challenge in the form of drainage problems. Despite the evident nature of the issue, no significant resolutions or improvements have been observed thus far. The lack of action has left citizens disheartened, as their …

…Mountain Hazelnuts remains steadfast in its commitment to building a sustainable hazelnut industry in Bhutan, surmounting challenges and forging a prosperous future for growers By Phurpa Wangmo In an effort to foster growth and sustainability within the hazelnut industry in Bhutan, Mountain Hazelnuts has been making significant investments in two crucial programs aimed at enhancing grower orchards and maximizing yields. …

…lime smearing exacerbates scenic beauty, underscoring the urgent necessity to discontinue the practice for a cleaner Bhutan. By Tenzin Lhaden The practice of smearing lime on poles and walls can indeed make the environment look dirty and contradict the notion of a clean and well-maintained environment.While it is disheartening to hear that the city cooperation is not taking direct action …

… 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕’𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏’𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏’𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. Sonam DekiDigital literacy entails more than just mere knowledge of technology; it encompasses the ability to navigate and communicate across diverse digital environments. With the widespread adoption of …

… 10 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒍 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 Sonam Deki On April 20, 2023, the Fourth National Council elections of Bhutan took place, and it marked an unprecedented level of voter participation with the highest turnout in the country’s history. Out of the 485,811 registered voters, a significant number of 254,982 individuals exercised their right to vote, resulting …

… 𝑮𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒚 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 Sonam ChokiIn a recent message to the public, the Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering emphasized the importance of clear communication and transparency in government decision-making. To that end, the government has launched a new series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help citizens better understand some of the major policy decisions …

… 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 Sonam DekiThe Youth Employment and Livelihood Program (YELP) will be kept on hold. Due to budget constraint YELP will not employ any youth for some time until the release of next financial budget. The next financial year (FY) is expected to start from July, 2023. The …

Phurpa WangmoBhutan voted for a lone woman to represent in the fourth National Council from 20 seats. In a historic win, Tshering Tshomo has emerged as the only female candidate to win the seat to the National Council 2023 from Zhemgang, the remaining 19 seats were all male elects. Among the five candidates who contested in Zhemgang, Tshering Tshomo secured …

…𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝑩𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 163 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 145 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔 Tenzin Lhaden With the first portable cell phone initiated in 1973 by Motorola, cell phones became popular during the cellular revolution which started in the 90s and by 1990; the number of mobile users was around 11 million. By 2020, this number …