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The government has allocated Nu. 622 million for monsoon restoration and disaster response works in the current financial year. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT), the allocation includes the regular annual monsoon restoration budget of Nu. 350 million along with an additional Nu. 272 million sanctioned following …

Bhutan’s unemployment rate currently stands at 16.5 percent, but the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment (MoICE) says that for a small country like Bhutan, the focus should be on the actual number of unemployed youths rather than percentages alone. Speaking during the parliamentary session, the MoICE Minister Lyonpo Namgyal …

The Minister for Industry, Commerce and Employment, Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji, presented the Action Taken Report (ATR) on the nine recommendations submitted by the Economic and Finance Committee (EFC) on 19th May on the Review Report of the Tourism Policy. The EFC recommended reviewing the Tourism Levy Act 2022 to clearly …

To address the mounting financial crisis among pig farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MoAL) has introduced a Price Guarantee Scheme (PGS) with a fixed procurement price of Nu 390 per kilogram. The intervention comes after the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sergithang-Tsirangtoed, Lhakpa Tshering Tamang, highlighted the plight …

The government has sought parliamentary approval for ratification of amendments to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, with the aim of strengthening Bhutan’s participation in global aviation governance and expanding its representation within the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The proposal was introduced in the National Assembly on 18th May …

The Member of Parliament (MP) Kinzang Wangchuk of Dramedtse-Ngatshang constituency raised concerns in Parliament over the potential impact of the Bhutan Standards Bureau’s (BSB) product certification requirement on imports, small businesses, and market supply. The MP said the recent BSB circular requiring imported products to be certified and included under …

On 15th May 2026, the National Council (NC) deliberated on the framework agreement on the establishment of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA). Chairperson of the NC Sangay Dorji said that the framework agreement was introduced and approved in the Fourth Session of the Fourth Parliament, with the Natural and …

The Kingdom of Bhutan and the Republic of Singapore signed the Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income on May 12, 2026 in Singapore. The Agreement was signed by Finance Minister, Lekey Dorji, on behalf of the Royal …

More than 100 hotels have applied for the four percent interest subsidy for hotel loans under the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) since applications opened on May 1, according to the Department of Tourism. The subsidy scheme was introduced to support the tourism and hospitality sector, particularly smaller hotels recovering from …

As reported by this paper, Classes 9 and 11 were the first to be introduced to the national curriculum aligned with Cambridge Curriculum in March this year. With the transition to the Cambridge-aligned Curriculum, older textbooks were refined. However, the distribution of new printed textbooks could not be completed in …