MoF sends out cost cutting circulars to government agencies as part of a new austerity drive However, its effectiveness is yet to be seen given that such past measures did not address the core causes of government flab and in-efficiency The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has sent out a circular …

MoF to draw up guidelines to put a cap and control this expenditure A ‘Financial Thrift’ report compiled during the interim government period found that the lack of a cap or rules on actual ‘hospitality and entertainment’ expenditure has led to huge expenses by 15 ministerial ranks from 2008 to …

As Bhutan develops multiple hydro projects an important question to ask is not only on the price of the projects or its loan component and tariff rates, but more importantly, on the future power market scenario for Bhutan’s existing and upcoming projects. The Hydropower Committee Report addresses this issue by …

ISBS leads to a ‘Bhutan Studies’ in its own right and a better insight into Bhutan on its own terms As any Bhutanese will be acutely aware, Bhutan is broadly defined in two ways. One, is that of a small but strategically important country lodged in between two giants along …

The Former Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay delivered the main key note address at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford University on 9th January as the main event of the three-day International Society of Bhutan Studies (ISBS) conference. The topic given to the former PM was, ‘Does Bhutan Matter? Stories from …

USD 3.8 mn impact on dollar reserves This is at a time when there is no money in the govt with Nu 9 bn T-Bill loans funding the govt 72 MPs including ministers are eligible to get Prado quotas Even before the MPs had their first Parliament session, around 57 …

Ex-Minister and DG both took financial assistance from the Indian agent in the IIWS case but were at odds in the Japan case BEO is supposed to refund translation fees to students The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) sent its investigation report to the OAG on Friday for prosecution of the …

A separate Nu 4 bn to tide over the GST transition The main priority of Lyonchhen (Dr) Lotay Tshering’s Delhi state visit of 27-29 December was in securing a good tariff rate for the upcoming 720 MW Mangdechu project. It has now emerged that the Indian government has agreed to …

The Cross Border Trade in Electricity (CBTE) of 5th December, 2016 which has been revised and renamed as the ‘Guidelines on Import/Export -2018,’ addresses many of the concerns expressed by Bhutan on the old CBTE. However, what will now be awaited is the detailed guidelines that will further detail out …

According to a reliable source, the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), in its investigation on the overseas employment case has come across findings in both the India case and the Japan case, and is expected to soon send the report to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) for prosecution. In …