EDITORIAL

The government’s stand that it will look into the BHEL and BVT commission issue is a welcome move. The question that some people may ask is if the government has any business looking into a commission paid by one Indian company to a private Bhutanese company, in a mutually agreed …

The escalating cost of the 10,000 MW projects has been a perennial issue that has featured in the media and public discussion. It has also been mentioned, many times, how majority of the national debt is hydropower debt. The size and number of the projects coupled with escalating costs and …

This maybe the umpteenth reminder, but the 2013 elections was largely won and lost on the state of the economy. Therefore, it goes without saying that the focus of the new government should be mainly on the economy. In reports emanating from the government there seems to be a lot …

The Ministry of Information and Communication’s (MoIC) draft Social Media Policy is not only an interesting document but it is also an interesting idea of sorts. Firstly, an immediate response to any world of ‘policy or regulations’ around media or social media invites instant and understandable suspicion. However, the draft …

There can be no denying that apart from a few pockets Bhutan’s eastern region is economically more backward than other regions in Bhutan. There was no historical or political conspiracy behind this, but it was dictated by more practical matters like the tough and unfriendly geography of the place and …

As more than 2,300 graduates complete their National Graduate Orientation Program (NGOP) this year at the Royal Institute of Management Hall, there will be many important lessons. The RIM is located below Bhutan’s historic Semtokha Dzong which was also the first major Dzong built in Bhutan by Zhabdrung Nawang Namgyel …

The Lhakhang Karpo case involving the Foreign Minister in his former capacity as the then Haa Dzongda will not be the first time that a serving minister has some past issues haunting him. This was also observed in the Gyelpozhing land case where several former ministers of the previous government …

The biggest weakness in Bhutan’s private sector is not so much the absence of big players as the weakness of its small and medium enterprises (SMEs). A lot of the economic woes of Bhutan can be traced back to the weakness of this sector. In any country across the world …

The Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) floated some draft guidelines on opening up of home, car and consumer loans for public feedback on its website recently. This paper not only covered a story highlighting those guidelines, but also praised RMA for seeking public consultation on an important issue. However, when the …

As His Majesty the Fourth King Jigme Singye Wang-chuck is one birthday away from a diamond jubilee next year and as the nation is deal¬ing with a host of issues, it would be a good time for the nation’s politicians to learn some vital lessons from Bhu¬tan’s greatest modern leader. …