HEADLINE STORIES

The Bhutanese government around two months ago, through diplomatic channels, sent a letter to the Indian government over Bhutan’s various concerns over the Cross Border Trade in Electricity (CBTE) guidelines issued on 5th December 2016. The CBTE guidelines, though meant to govern electricity trade between India and its neighbors, had …

The Prime Minister outlined both challenges and opportunities for Bhutan due to GST in India A presentation by the Ministry of Finance for the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) showed that the government would forego Nu 14 bn in total revenue due to India’s Good and Services Tax …

The country’s biggest cement plant, Dungsam Cement Corporation Limited (DCCL) is facing a financial crisis in commissioning timely payments to its transporters and suppliers as the Corporation has not able to claim huge overdues from the contractors of the major Hydro Power Projects, Punatsangchu I and II and Mangdechu. DCCL’s …

The Ministry of Finance in a circular effective from 11th August 2017 has said that vehicle dealers in Bhutan can now import vehicles from India which have the Goods and Services Tax (GST) exemption. This would make cars theoretically cheaper in Bhutan by around 12 to 13 percent for smaller …

The 1,200 MW Punatsangchu I and 1,020 MW Punatsangchu II is headed for more delay and cost escalations after a report by the Norwegian Geological Institute (NGI) recommended additional measures to strengthen the sliding right bank of P I, and approved the proposed works for the collapsed roof of the …

Bhutanese businesses and consumers expecting a dramatic drop in the price of GST item goods like cars, electronic and machinery items and most consumer goods from India will not see it happen until Bhutan gives the go ahead to the Indian government. There is an official understanding between the two …

With the Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) reducing the loan limited from 50 to 30 percent to control the imports of vehicles and suggesting the government to come up with fiscal measures, the popular over night perception was that vehicles taxes are on the way. However, the Prime Minister Lyonchhen Dasho …

The Department of Geology and Mines under the Ministry of Economic Affairs has completed the installation of six seismic stations and twenty intensity meters in the country last month. The monitoring networks will help in providing information about the location and the magnitudes of the quake and help in assessing …

While the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) report pinpointed the illegal and inflated term loans and Over Draft loans given by a Bhutan Development Bank Limited (BDBL) project officer, Pema Nidup, coming to around Nu 576 mn, questions remain about the system and lack of oversight that allowed this to happen. …

Some people say that Bhutan is an Indian ‘protectorate,’ which is not only an inaccurate assessment, but shows a lack of understanding of the increasingly complex and diversified nature of the relationship between the two countries. The Doklam standoff on territory claimed by Bhutan has gone on for a full …