HEADLINE STORIES

Two of the biggest economic projects under construction in Bhutan are the 1200 MW Punatsangchu I project at Nu 93.75 bn and the 1020 MW Punatsangchu II project at Nu 72.90 bn and both of them are impacted by both the outbreak of COVID-19 in Bhutan from 6th March and …

Out of plan 14 bn worth of base course for 9,239 km of farm roads planned among others to support the economy A key concern for the government is that the GDP growth target of 6 to 7 percent in the 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) could drop to 4.7 …

One main question and worry at the top of many Bhutanese minds will be on if and when there would be a national lockdown, like neighboring India or other countries across the world. However, Lyonchhen Dr Lotay Tshering said that this scenario is highly unlikely even if there is local …

2000 plus applications on day 1 itself Most people calling are from the tourism industry The Druk Gyalpo’s Relief Kidu was launched on 14th April Tuesday morning around 10.30 am by the Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering. Immediately after the launch, the RMA Governor Dasho Penjo informed the gathering that …

Banks to get relief through CRR and T-Bills The CEOs of the two biggest banks in Bhutan, Bank of Bhutan (BoB) and Bhutan National Bank (BNB) both said that sheer majority of the interest waiver will go to medium and small borrowers. His Majesty had announced the waiver of three …

Working from home and social distancing should not affect service delivery: RCSC Chairperson One impact of the COVID-19 situation in Bhutan is a noticeable slowing down of service delivery from the civil service. This drop was noticeable from after the first case of COVID-19 in Bhutan, but it has become …

The world is faced with an unprecedented challenge due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. The risks unleashed by this pandemic are escalating by the day. Realising that Bhutan will not be an exception to the adverse effects of this global pandemic, we have planned and implemented various strategies …

Sonam Tamang’s life support system was removed on 13th April 2020 witnessed by four people and a funeral was held for her on 14th April according to Yumiko Kan, a social worker in Japan who has been helping Sonam Tamang’s family. This is after consent for this was given by …

Countries around the world are finding out that one of the best strategies to deal with the COVID-19 virus is to conduct large numbers of tests followed by contact tracing, quarantine, isolation and treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros A. Ghebreyesus himself gave the message of ‘test, …

As Bhutan sees an increasing numbers of cases jumping from 1 on March 6th to five as of 2nd April, the only comfort is that they are imported cases with no evidence of community transmission yet. However, if Bhutan does see large scale infections and community transfer then the Ministry …