An Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation has found that the Assistant Branch Manager of Bhutan Development Bank Limited (BDBL) branch in Pemagatshel, Phurpa Gyeltshen, embezzled around Nu 11.76 mn from the both the Gelephu and Pemagatshel branches. The embezzlement started as early as 2012 when he was the Product Service …

While parties like the DNT, BKP and even established ones like PDP and DPT have been launching candidates, carrying out party activities and generally staying in the public eye as the 2018 polls approach, the Druk Chirwang Tshogpa (DCT) has been very quite. The reason for this low profile is …

Govt pushing ISPs for better service and lower prices The country’s two largest Internet Service Providers (ISP) Bhutan Telecom and Tashi Cell are both in the process of enhancing their internet bandwidth in a major way. This is after the government since 2017 has been encouraging the two ISP’s to …

In what could be an important development for Bhutan’s hydropower sector, the Indian government has set up a special taskforce committee headed by the Power Secretary of India to address Bhutan’s concerns over its Cross Border Trade in Electricity guidelines (CBTE). The committee was set up on 29th December 2017 …

As part of the 50 years of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, the government has been pursuing a substantial increase in the power tariff of the Chukha project, and it has also been pushing India to implement the 2,560 MW Sunkosh. Chukha Tariff The Chukha tariff is supposed …

The 1,146 acres Amochu Land Development and Township Project (ALDTP) estimated to cost around Nu 14 bn, and create a new township for Phuentsholing has been scaled down for now due to loan concerns. Though the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was interested to be the main financer for the project …

Zhemgang Dzongda now says DT resolution on dress code must follow national policy With the Zhemgang Thrizin, Sangay Letho and Dzongkhag Tshogdu still determined to enforce the 9 am to 5 pm compulsory ‘Gho and Kira’ dress code despite a national controversy, moves are afoot to try and contain the …

Bhutan decided to go for abstention in the recent United Nations resolution against the decision of the USA to establish an Embassy in Jerusalem, for carefully calculated national interest reasons. This is according to two senior government figures one of whom is in the Foreign Ministry but they did not …

The Prime Minister has written to the Office of the Attorney General to investigate the Tsirang Cooperative issue and to prosecute it if anything is found. Around 400 villagers in Tsirang have been raising the issue of Nu 300 each collected from them to form an Agro Cooperative to avail …

Dismissing speculation of a strategic civil service pay hike before the 2018 polls, the Prime Minister Lyonchhen Dasho Tshering Tobgay said these are just rumors and have no truth to them. “A civil service pay hike before the 2018 polls would be one driven purely by political interests and not …