HEADLINE STORIES

Speculations of a pay hike start but there are some ground realities The tariff rate for the 1020 MW Punatsangchu II (P II) project is likely to be Nu 5.10 per unit as this is the rate that has been accepted by the Indian side. The levelized tariff, which is …

A traditional challenge for Bhutan’s energy sector is that it is hydropower dependent, which means that while it has excess energy in the summer months with overflowing rivers, the reverse is the true in the winter months, with the country even having to import power. In a bid to overcome …

Bhutan’s first reservoir project will create a 17 km long lake The Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) will take up construction of the 180 MW Bunakha Reservoir project in 2026 on its own. DGPC is in the process of negotiating a USD 450 million (mn) or a Nu 39.681 billion …

Starting from the 2026 academic session, the Ministry of Education, Skills and Development (MoESD) will set the official school admission age at six years.  The Director of the Department of School Education, Tashi Namgyal, said the decision is based on looking at children’s physical and mental readiness, as well as …

An Indian national named Aamir Rasul Shikalgar has been sentenced to 20 years for drug smuggling into Paro Airport from Thailand. On 04/02/2025 at around 12:30 pm, the Department of Regional Revenue and Customs seized 19.289 kilograms of heroin from the bag of an Indian national, Aamir Rasul Shikalgar during …

His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen returned to Bhutan on 22nd August 2025 after concluding a landmark State Visit to Việtnam, the first from Bhutan to the Southeast Asian nation. Their Majesties were warmly received throughout the five-day visit, during which they met with Việtnam’s senior leadership, …

The sixth and final unit of the 1020 MW Punatsangchu II project is aimed to be commissioned on 27th August, which means that the project will be producing all of the 1020 MW. As the project is slated for commissioning in a few days, there is the important matter of …

The Journalists’ Association of Bhutan (JAB) on 14th August 2025 launched the country’s first ‘Media Perception Index (MPI) Survey Report’. The survey aimed at assessing and measuring ‘public perceptions, opinions, and attitudes’ toward the media through a list of 78 questions asked by 12 enumerators to 700 respondents in 14 …

The media regulator, Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority (BICMA), has asked Bhutan Telecom (BT) for additional information for its proposed data rate cuts. This means a final decision is only likely in the coming week. The BT proposal, as reported earlier, is different rate cuts for different packages, but the …

The government in February 2025 during the launch of its 21st Century Economic Roadmap said that a USD 100 million (mn) Venture Capital (VC) Fund would be set up. The discussions on this have now reached an advanced stage with the government identifying a California based VC company 500 Global. …