The Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) in tandem with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has been carrying out some much required reforms in reducing Rupee scarcity and, more importantly, restoring the Rupee-Ngultrum parity. An important first step was opening rupee counters in Thimphu and Phuentsholing in January 2016 to address the …

Whenever, any Bhutanese has stomach ulcer, a finger is easily pointed at the higher than average consumption of Bhutanese chilli. However, increasing medical data and research is pointing a finger mainly at the H Pylori bacteria which as per a 2012 research afflicts a staggering 86 percent of Bhutanese people. …

The recent Thromde elections saw a general trend of lower turnouts at Zomdus and difficulty in getting candidates for various posts. This has also been observed in past local government elections. While at one level it is understandable to see higher turnouts for General Elections the much lower levels of …

An investigation by this paper has found that 17 Indian lottery companies have been falsely representing themselves as official ‘Bhutan Lottery’ agents of the Bhutan government from 2011 onwards. As a result they have been making billions in revenue selling unauthorized ‘Bhutan Lottery’ tickets in the name of Bhutan. The …

Patrick Suckling, Ambassador of Australia to Bhutan paid a farewell call on Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay at the Gyalyong Tshogkhang on 19th January. The Prime Minister congratulated Ambassador Suckling for successfully completing his tenure and said that Bhutan has seen a lot more interaction with Australia during his tenure. Lyonchhen thanked …

His Majesty The King appointed Kinga Singye as Bhutan’s representative to the United Nations mission in Geneva. The PM said, “Having served in the foreign ministry for 31 years, Ambassador Kinga is one of our most experienced diplomats, Tashi Delek.” The selection of ambassadors is the prerogative of the Prime …

Come winter and Thimphu along with other major urban areas empties out a part of its population. A large portion heads down to the Indian plains or to Nepal for mainly pilgrimage. We all know about this, and the numbers have been documented and talked about especially in relation to …

The Ministry of Labour and Human Resources has an employment program called the Guaranteed Employment Program (GEP), which pays more than 60 percent of a reasonable total salary of an employee for up to a year on a monthly basis. The company has to meet the rest of the sum. …

The National Council’s position that former Judges cannot practice law after retirement in the amendment of the Jabmi Act may sound like a reasonable stand. This is especially so given that it has been the norm for many years before the proposed amendment of the Act. However, when compared with …

The Department of Information and Media commissioned report on overcoming the financial crisis in the private media has hit the figurative bull’s eye, in identifying the main problem plaguing private newspapers, and it has also found the way out. The report has been drafted by a well regarded and neutral …