The Royal Audit Bill 2017 is the only new legislative Bill the National Council (NC) will deliberate this session. It will be deliberated at the National Assembly in the next session. Presenting a brief background on the bill the NC’s legislative committee chairman, Tashi Phuntsho, said the Audit Bill was …

The National Council ratified the Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit between the Kingdom of Bhutan and Government of India in yesterday’s session, which was last revised in 2006. Economic Affairs Minister Lekey Dorji, who presented the renewed agreement to the council, said the first trade agreement was signed in …

The 2017-18 financial year, the last year of the 11th Plan, which begins from July 1, has the largest allocation in the current plan with a budget Nu 60.7 billion. Of the total, Nu 29.3 billion is for capital expenditure, Nu 28.6 billion for current expenditure and Nu 2.8 billion …

The National Council on Friday unanimously ratified the Paris Agreement, which aims to strengthen global response to the threat of climate change through a temperature goal of limiting the increase in global average temperature to 1.5 degree Celsius. Agriculture minister Yeshey Dorji introduced and presented the objectives, aims, achievements, and …

The joint sitting of parliament on May 4 endorsed the Customs Bill 2017, which has been stuck since the seventh session because of disagreements between the National Assembly and National Council over five clauses. The Lamgong-Wangchag constituency MP Khandu Wangchuk, who is also Chairperson for the joint committee on the …

Going against a nationwide trend, the number of unoccupied village households (gungtongs) in Chali, Mongar, has actually been declining over the years. Chali gewog has around 287 houses of which 22 are gungtongs. In the previous year there were 25 empty households. “I think the decrease in gungtong in my …

On April 27, 36 girl students from six schools cut a cake and then went on a tour to meet with women working in the IT divisions of various offices with the department of information technology and telecom (DITT). The tour was part of the Girls in ICT Day celebrations, …

And the third one to have its own dedicated international line NANO is the latest Internet Service Provider (ISP) to enter the market and the third ISP in the country, after Bhutan Telecom and TashiCell, with its own dedicated international line through the international gateway in Phuentsholing. Set up by …

The newly released findings for 2017 World Press Freedom Index by an independent NGO with consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the International Organization of the Francophone called the Reporters Without Boarders (RSF) showed that Bhutan moved up 10 spots from 94 in 2015 …

The locals of Wangdue Phodrang are looking forward to the completion of the 40-bed ultramodern hospital in the region, which was supposed to be completed in March last year. The new hospital is located on a hill in Jatshokha village under Rinchengang, several kilometres away from Bajo town. Construction work …