DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

Villages in Samtse are slowly declining as there is no effective long-term solution to the elephant problem that has haunted residents for decades. Despite trying a wide range of mitigation measures, none have succeeded in stopping wild elephants from entering fields and threatening livelihoods. A resident of Tashicholing Gewog, Dhanapathi …

The government has announced a wide-ranging set of initiatives aimed at strengthening socio-cultural resilience and community vitality through enhanced digital governance, decentralized development, cultural preservation, and disaster preparedness measures. The initiatives were outlined in the Third Annual Report on the State of the Nation (SOTN) presented to the Joint Sitting …

More than 700 civil servants have undergone specialized training under the Enlightened Entrepreneurial Bureaucracy Program The government and the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) are jointly developing and implementing the national Diamond Strategy to transform Bhutan’s civil service, with over 700 officials already trained under the Enlightened Entrepreneurial Bureaucracy (EEB) …

Various Members of Parliament (MPs) raised concerns over high legal fees charged by lawyers and Jabmis, and how it makes equitable justice inaccessible to the financially modest people of the country. This came during the introduction and deliberation of the Jabmi (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan which was tabled during the …

The proposed amendments to Bhutan’s reservations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) have reached a Joint Sitting of Parliament after the National Assembly and the National Council did not reach an agreement. National Council rejects proposed amendments During the 12th Sitting of the National Council, …

During the First Sitting of the Joint Sitting of Parliament, Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Jamyang Namgyel,  presented the committee’s assessment and findings on the Royal Audit Authority’s (RAA) and follow-up review of the Annual Audit Report 2024-2025. Under Section 6.1 of the …

The National Council unanimously adopted the Bhutan–Singapore Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement on 8th June. The Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) is Bhutan’s third bilateral tax treaty and was negotiated by the Royal Government of Bhutan with the participation of the Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority (GMCA). The agreement is intended to …

Following reports on concerns raised by Dzongkha Contract Teachers and Dzongkha Regular Contract Teachers, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) has denied allegations that teachers had their contracts shortened before completion. Teachers earlier had claimed that several experienced Dzongkha teachers, including some with Post Graduate Diploma in Education …

Thrimshing-Kangpar MP Damche Tenzin pointed out that under Pledge No. 4 of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) manifesto, the government committed to ensuring that every Gewog Health Center is staffed with one doctor and adequate health personnel, including at least one female health worker. The MP said that more than …

Concerns over the safety and welfare of Bhutanese living and working in the Gulf region were raised both in the National Assembly and during the 28th Meet-the-Press session on 5th June 2026, as the government detailed measures being taken to monitor the situation and prepare for any potential deterioration in …