DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

The Election Commission of Bhutan’s (ECB) ‘Rules on Elections Conduct in the Kingdom of Bhutan, 2022’ does not talk about just requiring five and 10 years work experience for National Assembly and National Council candidates or asking for how pledges will be funded, but it also has strong provisions against candidates …

After the High Court has upheld the District Court’s judgment dismissing the alleged defamation case against Penjore but not providing compensation, Penjore has decided to appeal to the Supreme Court by next week. The High Court pronounced its judgment on 31 August 2022. The High Court has dismissed the compensation …

The former Board Director of the National Cottage and Small Industries Development Bank Limited (NCSIDBL), Tshewang Tashi, and the Chief Executive Officer of Sai Trading Partner, Samten were sentenced to three years and six months each in prison on Monday by the Thimphu District Court. The sentence was to do …

With the opening of borders, the chances of detecting monkeypox in the country is high now, and with WHO declaring a global health emergency, the Ministry of Health (MoH) is prepared to handle a possible outbreak. An official from MoH said monkeypox is a self-limiting disease, where it sometimes shows …

Local Government leaders (Gups) have expressed the need for proper consultation to be made before they decide or approve the budget distribution for the gewogs. They are not satisfied with the current practice of how the budget is being distributed among the gewogs. The issue was discussed in the Dzongkhag …

Around July 2020, Thimphu Thromde issued a notification signed by the Executive Secretary stating that Building owners are to comply with permissible color code of Green, Brown and Red only. Roofs that are left unpainted or not painted with permissible color code needs immediate action by respective building owners. However, …

Thimphu Thromde has decided to levy the penalties for what it says are illegal activities within Thromde.  The penalties ranges from Nu 5,000 to Nu 45,000. As per the notification issued by Thromde on Thursday, the rectifications must be done within one month from the date of the notification, after …

Around 2.1 percent of the total population, which is 15,567 persons, are Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). Around 80 percent of the PwDs are from the rural areas of Bhutan. There are three modes of disability in the country, a charity model wherein PwDs are seen as a victim of circumstances …

Earlier, the Southern COVID-19 Task Force (SC19TF) allowed the Test and Go system on 4 July 2022, but through their observation, it was seen that many people are going out and coming in, even for some casual work. Therefore, SC19TF has restricted people from going out unless it is an …

City bus and taxi services are the dominant mode of public transport in urban areas besides the use of private cars. However, there is a major shortage of city buses in cities like Thimphu and also Phuentsholing and even the services that are available have several issues. Having public transport …