EDITORIAL

Enabling the Disabled

A large batch of Bhutanese families are leaving this year as part of the Diversity Visa recipients of the USA. One such family had a civil servant husband and a wife with a job in the private sector, their own house and they had no real economic motives to move …

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Lessons from the Trump victory

The victory of President Donald Trump offers important lessons for all countries across the world, including Bhutan, and it is thus important to understand why he won, especially since USA is the sole superpower on the global stage. The victory of Trump is a clear backlash to unrestrained globalization since …

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Righting the wrongs

The new upcoming Thimphu Design Code as a part of the new Thimphu Structure Plan is an important change and rights many wrongs with urban development. In the past few decades, even for all the planning, Thimphu had a rapid and chaotic growth and this is visible when one drives …

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Growing wage gap

In between the clean wage hike of 2022 and the actual pay hike of 2023 public servants got a hike of 55 to 76 percent. This hike further widened the already existing pay gaps between the government sector and the private sector. The private sector was always small and weak …

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The People’s King

The Royal Visit to Australia was historic on many counts, but it also showed that the core of Bhutanese identity and the glue that binds us all is our King and the Royal Family. The Royal Visit to Australia by no means was an easy one. To start with, the …

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Hydro Consultants

The 1,200 MW Punatsangchu I project and the 1,020 MW Punatsangchu II project have been in the headlines for mainly wrong reasons in the last one-decade. The failures in these two projects have been chalked down to ‘Geological Surprises,’ but a closer look shows that it is not just geological …

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Bhutan dares to dream

On the final farewell dinner a foreign guest at the Bhutan Innovation Forum said he would be shedding tears on his flight. His stay and experience in Bhutan deeply touched him. Similarly the BIF was an eye opening experience for Bhutanese of all stripes attending it. A senior civil servant …

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Bhutan Innovation Forum

The Bhutan Innovation Forum (BIF) marks an important moment in Bhutan’s journey towards sustainable development, economic self-reliance, and a future that embraces both tradition and modernity. As we gather to celebrate innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, intellect and technological advancements, it is crucial to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that define …

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Inclusive Bhutan

The fact that Bhutan has 48,325 persons with disabilities (five and above), which is 6.8% of our population, should come as a wake up call for policy makers, institutions and society as a whole. The main problem for persons with disabilities in Bhutan and their family members is not the …

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The threat of fuel adulteration

Fuel adulteration is a silent threat with far-reaching consequences, especially in Bhutan, where regulatory oversight remains weak. It is clear that for now the fuel adulteration is happening across the border at the expense of Bhutan and is costing us hundreds of millions if not billions. Whoever is responsible, be …

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