HEADLINE STORIES

One of the signature features of Bhutan’s five year plans has been the reliance on grant or developmental aid from donor countries also called developmental partners. Bhutan’s initial five year plans and particularly the first four five year plans from 1961-1981 was overwhelmingly financed by donors with the biggest and …

The first conjoined twins in Bhutan, Nima  Pelden and Dawa Pelden, after being successfully separated on 9 October at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, will be kept at Children’s First Foundation (CFF) retreat center for a month. The pediatric surgeon with the national referral hospital, Thimphu, Dr Karma …

There are some changes being anticipated in the education sector. Doing away with the Saturday classes is one change, among many in the education system, which is prioritized by the ruling government for progressive learning. The education minister, Lyonpo Jai Bir Rai, believes this is a constructive move. “No classes …

  The Hydro Committee report has come out against private ownership of hydro projects. The report also recommends that the government itself, through entities like DGPC should not invest in hydropower or at best limit its investment to only certain special projects. It says that as long as the hydropower …

  The new cabinet’s first official decision, in its cabinet meeting on Tuesday, was on asking the Ministry of Finance to develop the terms of reference for the establishment of the 4th Pay Commission. The ministry of finance apart from developing the ToR will also have to decide who will …

The Hydropower Committee has identified a slew of technical issues that affect the quality and implementation of hydro power projects. The committee has also called for more Bhutanese participation in the management and construction of these projects to allow for better accountability and capacity building. The Hydropower Committee was constituted …

  2018-19 budget also being prepared for 1st session of the Third Parliament  The new cabinet is in a very busy mode, working overtime attending a week long National Assembly orientation session, getting briefed at their respective ministries and also attending detailed sessions with the GNHC to incorporate the ruling …

It recommends completing the current projects, going for Sunkosh and Kuri Gongri in a phase wise manner and doing one JV project for now On 15th May 2017 the former Cabinet issued an executive order appointing a ‘Hydropower Committee,’ to develop a ‘Hydropower Development Strategy.’ This would be used to …

The Cross Border Trade of Electricity Guidelines (CBTE) issued by the Government of India (GoI)India on 5th December 2016 was meant to govern cross border electricity trade between India and all its neighbors. However, Bhutan objected to certain provisions of the CBTE as it felt was not in the interest …

Report also recommends it is better to do a few mega projects than many small and medium project to lessen environmental and social impact   The much anticipated Hydropower Committee report has not only recommended slowing down hydro development and going for lesser but more viable projects (see main story), …