NEW DELHI – With India’s general election a few weeks away from its conclusion, a crucial question needs to be revisited: what role have social media played in them? Conventional wisdom had it that, in the Indian context, one should always be skeptical about the reach and political impact of …

I am pleased to be here today for the First Convocation of our Medical University. Growing up, I recall the stories when the first hospital was being built, during the time of His Late Majesty King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. It was such an important endeavour that His Late Majesty dedicated …

Darjeeling was known as the Queen of the Hills in India and was famous world over, especially in the 1950’s, 1960’s and 70’s and a lot of Bollywood movies were shot there. Bhutan was not as well known and became a late entrant in the world of tourism. With no …

The BEO or Japan case has mainly been discussed in terms of contractual obligations and their violations, and the financial implications. However, the human toll brought out by students and parents in this paper, last week, gave pause for thought. Two dead, one in coma, 30 plus with Tuberculosis, two …

Of all the world’s regions, it is the Americas (North and South) that has suffered the greatest deterioration (3.6 percent) in its regional score measuring the level of press freedom constraints and violations. This was not just due to the poor performance of the United States, Brazil and Venezuela. Nicaragua (114th) fell 24 places, one …

Nothing will get a civil servant as worked up as a pay commission report. With their dominance of the social media and their consumption of the media, their voices will be heard, loud and clear. Back this up with the fact that they form a sizeable and influential voting block, …

For more than two years, China has waged a campaign of unparalleled repression against its Islamic minorities, incarcerating an estimated one-sixth of the adult Muslim population of the Xinjiang region at one point or another. Yet, with the exception of a recent tweet from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling on China to …

After the release of the Fourth Pay Commission report, the debate inevitably has focused around the increase in basic pay which is 14 percent at higher levels to 21 percent at lower levels in the civil service ranks from O 1 to Ex 1. There is also a 14 percent …

The Thimphu Structure Plan has clearly outlined residential areas where apart from some small shops, not much commercial activity is allowed. However, the Thimphu Thromde, since 2016, decided to allow a great degree and level of commercial activity in these areas- including buildings hotels and service apartments for tourists, by …

MoWHS, which has ‘learnt’ of the rule change 2 years later, feels it violates LG Act and has sought OAG’s opinion Thimphu is currently in the midst of record land prices, tenants being asked to move out in large numbers by landlords converting their buildings into hotels or  service apartments, …