With 2016 being a special year for Bhutan, the seventh edition of Mountain Echoes Literary Festival started out on a special note. For the first time, the Bhutanese authors outnumber the Indian panelists, as festival director Tshering Tashi noted. Following the traditional lighting of the lamp,  Ambassador Jaideep Sarkar thanked …

Renowned author Amitav Ghosh kicked off the seventh edition of Mountain Echoes Literary Festival with a hard-hitting session on climate change, in The Great Derangement: Politics of the Carbon Economy. Amitav pulled no punches; when asked if he saw himself as part of the solution to climate change, he said that …

The 11th Annual Consultations between Bhutan and Japan on Economic Cooperation took place in New Delhi on 23 August 2016. Ambassador Kesang Wangdi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Bhutanese delegation comprising of officials from the Gross National Happiness Commission, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Works and Human Settlement, …

His Royal Highness Gyaltshab Jigme Dorji Wangchuck presented Kashos from His Majesty The King granting Land and Citizenship Kidu to the people. His Majesty granted Citizenship Kidu to 93 individuals, and Land Kidu to 42 families from Mongar. The recipients of the Citizenship Kidu took part in a ceremony to …

Women Poenkhas across the country have received Gyentag, an insignia equivalent to the Patag worn by men, from His Majesty The King. Gyentag which translates to “Symbol of Responsibility”, is worn pinned like a brooch. As with the Patag, His Majesty The King confers the Gyentag to those women who have received the red scarf, or have been appointed …

His Majesty The King appointed 4 secretaries and promoted 20 Armed Force officers on 17th August 2016 in the Tashichhodzong Rinzin Dorji, formerly the director general of the Construction Development Board, was appointed as the secretary of the ministry of agriculture and forests. Karma Tshering Namgyal, formerly the consul general …

The Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa has criticized the Central Schools program of the government  calling it archaic and reversing the advances made in self-reliance. The party said that while there is no disagreement on the consolidation of the school system to improve efficiency and quality of education in the long run. …

When the full fury of the monsoon season struck and washed away Sarpang town, cut roads and started threatening Amochu’s embankments the Prime Minister was on a visit to the highlands of Soe and Lingzhi to meet the people there. However, on 23rd July concerned with the situation and in …

Heavier than normal monsoon rains over Bhutan and especially southern Bhutan wrecked havoc  in the last two weeks with mega landslides  cutting off the Phuentsholing-Thimphu highway and nearly all major highways and smaller roads across Bhutan. Meanwhile rivers and streams in southern Bhutan over flooded its banks destroying Sarpang town, …

Lyonchhen interacted with the people who have difficulties finding accommodation in Phuentsholing. Speaking to over 1000 people residing in the border town of Jaigaon , Lyonchhen informed them that the government will soon start building 72 buildings with 500 units in Phuentsholing. The ground breaking ceremony was held earlier in …