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The value of austerity measures

The latest draft 11th plan is around Nu 213 bn, of which around Nu 121 bn will be spent on current expenditure like salaries, TA/DA, vehicles, fuel, stationeries, etc., of the government machinery. Only Nu 92 bn will be spent on capital or developmental works and socio-economic works like roads, …

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Response to a Response

There was a RMA reaction today in a newspaper to an article by Dasho Karma Ura titled, “THE RUPEE CRISIS MACROECONOMIC CAUSES AND CURES.” It seems RMA officials have not read the article carefully. In what was published so far, which is Part 1 out of presumably more parts, not …

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Cabinet adopts austerity measures to ease economic situation

Following the country’s current economic situation, particularly the severe Indian Rupee (INR) shortfall, growing public debt and ever increasing current expenditure, the new government has decided to adopt a host of austerity measures, especially concerning the cabinet members, to curb unnecessary and excessive spending. Setting an example, the fourth sitting …

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FM to make his maiden foreign visit next week

The sixth meeting of SAARC finance ministers is scheduled to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on August 30, 2013 preceded by the finance secretaries meet a day in advance. SAARC finance ministers usually meet within the first quarter of every year to take stock of macroeconomic developments and outlook …

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Bhutan Board for Certified Counselors to be established

The Royal Civil Service Commission, Royal University of Bhutan, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and Human Resources, Gross Nation-al Happiness Commission, Bhutan Narcotics Control Agency, Royal Bhutan Police, National Commission for Women and Children and RE-NEW endorsed the proposal to establish Bhutan Board for Certified Counselor …

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The rupee crisis: Macroeconomic causes and cures

Introduction This seven-part article analyses the causes and cures of the INR shortage from a macro-economic point of view. It will cover the following topics: (2) purposes of foreign currency reserves, (3) options after running down reserves, (3) first cause of INR shortage: excessive monetary growth, (4) second cause of …

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The rise and fall of independent journalism in Bhutan

The Bhutanese media scene is currently experiencing a strange paradox. Despite the challenges and odds, it has achieved much since the inception of democracy in 2008, to the point of being a major factor in Bhutanese democracy. Scams have been exposed, wrongs have been righted, broken systems have been fixed, …

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