DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

The 1st August ceremony in the National Assembly of the Prime Minister, Ministers, Speaker and MPs removing their orange and blue Kabneys has again reignited the Kabney debate on what is appropriate to wear and by whom. There was surprise in some quarters as former ministers and MPs Yeshey Zimba, …

The Immigration and Census Office moved to its brand new building, constructed on a 90-decimal land, at Kawajangsa, Thimphu. The ample space in the building is expected to help in better service delivery and record keeping and storing. The inauguration ceremony was carried out on 29 July and graced by …

The rampant mudslinging, smear campaigns or defamation of candidates and political parties on the social media platforms is a cause for concern, especially as the election period draws near. Such posts are intended to either divide the voters or to influence them. This concern is being taken seriously by the …

With all its 47 candidates set to compete for the 2018 Election, the Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party (BKP) held its first party convention on 21st July at the Royal Institute of Management (RIM), Simtokha. More than 6,500 people were present at the convention according to the party’s estimate. Overwhelmed by the …

Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) held a press conference on Friday to formally introduce the party’s slogan to the people of Bhutan for the 2018 elections, which is: ‘Narrowing the Gap’. “The ‘Gap’ in DNT’s slogan explicitly implies income inequality between the different sections of Bhutanese society. The word ‘Narrowing’ suggests …

In its final judgment on 13 July, the High Court rejected Chheku Drukpa’s charges against the Election Commission of Bhutan’s (ECB) decision to disqualify Druk Gaki Tshogpa’s (DGT) registration as a political party, on the ground that the party did not submit a name of registered member from 2 dzongkhags, …

National Mushroom Center (NMC) is pleased with its second try at growing the white button mushroom. The first trial failed as the mushroom needed extra effort and care to cultivate. However, with directives from the Chukha Dzongda, the Dzongkhag Agriculture Sector in Chukha with support from NMC, has turned the …

The Office of Attorney General (OAG) presented all its evidence and witnesses in the child molestation involving one 39-year-old vice principal of charity school in Bjemina on 28 June. An official from OAG said that they also presented a definition of child molestation to the court as it is not …

A workshop on horticulture by the Asian Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (AFACI) was held in Thimphu on 4 July.  A total of 14 AFACI member countries; Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Bhutan and Korea participated in the workshop, aimed at …

Given the fact that Bhutan is fairly an agrarian society and agriculture is the main source of income and livelihhod for the people in rural areas, agriculture received a major chunk of the investment in the 11th FYP and was also identified as the Five Jewels of the nation. The …