EDITORIAL

His Majesty’s Kidu relief of nine months’ interest waiver, extension of the Druk Gyalpo Relief Kidu by another three months coupled with a 12-month loan deferment has come as a huge relief for an embattled private sector and the larger economy. His Majesty has given us important time at two …

There are two parties to blame for the issues in the mining industry. One is the mine owner and how the owner or owners run the mine with a short-term view but the bigger flaw lies with the Department of Geology and Mines and their poor monitoring system that allows …

For those under a rock in the last few weeks, COVID-19 is knocking hard on our border gates with a number of cases and outbreaks right across the border. If one looks at a Bhutan, we are virtually surrounded by various states impacted by COVID-19 with the two main ones …

Public memory is short in Bhutan. The now profitable Gypsum mines of SMCL was operated very unprofitably and at a loss by the government until 1980, after which private owners took over and turned it around. The NRDCL a few years ago invested Nu 400 mn in stone quarries all …

The 2020-21 financial year budget reading shows that Bhutan has a tough financial year ahead, especially in a country where the government is by far the largest mover of the economy as a large chunk of GDP growth still depends on government expenditure. With the COVID-19 impact GDP growth rate …

Bhutan is hard hit by the economic impact of the COVID-19 and the one thing that the government and country does not have much of is money. This is why cut backs are being made in recurrent expenditure and belts are being tightened to ‘do more with less’ as said …

The biggest lesson of Cyclone Amphan for Bhutan is the pressing need for a third international gateway for our internet connection from Bangladesh and via India to Bhutan. The downing of internet lines of Bhutan Telecom and partly that of Tashi Cell even for a day or so had a …

The STCBL letting go of its CEO based on the official complaints of sexual harassment by three female employees is not only an important landmark case in Bhutan, but it is also a big win in the fight against sexual harassment at the work place. The three girls must first …

The Health Minister was very clear in her press conference on Friday stating a few irrefutable points. She said that the Jomotsangkha case was exposed to the virus and hence had it. She said that the proof of this was in the fact that he tested positive for IgM antibodies …

The initially positive and later negative result of a shop keeper in Jomotsangkha kept the nation on tenterhooks, because any confirmation would mean the possible presence of community transmission in Bhutan. The nation, for a moment, was reminded of the incredibly high price that we have to pay for any …