A ten-member delegation from Bhutan took part in a two-day conference in New Delhi on India- Bhutan relations from 3-4 December to mark the 50 years of diplomatic relations between Bhutan and India. The conference was well attended not only by the ten mostly senior figures from Bhutan along with …

Albeit with a new ToR and better communication to prevent a repeat of the last CoS In a major decision the government has decided to reconstitute the formerly disbanded Committee of Secretaries (CoS) which is to be led by the Cabinet Secretary Kesang Wangdi. Lyonchhen (Dr) Lotay Tshering announced this …

Bhutan to ask India for same grant amount as in the 11th plan The 12 Five Year Plan size is at Nu 310 bn according to the Foreign Minister Lyonpo (Dr) Tandin Dorji. He said that the figure is unlikely to change and that it would probably be sent to …

Report also asks for better quality Environmental Impact Assessment reports The Hydropower Committee report has looked at all the social and environmental lessons learnt in Bhutan’s hydropower development and has come up with recommendations to address them. One of the key social lessons is in terms of taking care of …

One of the signature features of Bhutan’s five year plans has been the reliance on grant or developmental aid from donor countries also called developmental partners. Bhutan’s initial five year plans and particularly the first four five year plans from 1961-1981 was overwhelmingly financed by donors with the biggest and …

  The Hydro Committee report has come out against private ownership of hydro projects. The report also recommends that the government itself, through entities like DGPC should not invest in hydropower or at best limit its investment to only certain special projects. It says that as long as the hydropower …

  The new cabinet’s first official decision, in its cabinet meeting on Tuesday, was on asking the Ministry of Finance to develop the terms of reference for the establishment of the 4th Pay Commission. The ministry of finance apart from developing the ToR will also have to decide who will …

The Hydropower Committee has identified a slew of technical issues that affect the quality and implementation of hydro power projects. The committee has also called for more Bhutanese participation in the management and construction of these projects to allow for better accountability and capacity building. The Hydropower Committee was constituted …

  2018-19 budget also being prepared for 1st session of the Third Parliament  The new cabinet is in a very busy mode, working overtime attending a week long National Assembly orientation session, getting briefed at their respective ministries and also attending detailed sessions with the GNHC to incorporate the ruling …

One of the main pledges adopted by all four parties in various forms in the 2018 polls was on a civil service pay hike and other benefits like equitable DSA etc. The Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT), in its manifesto, had pledged two give two pay hikes to civil servants in …