HEADLINE STORIES

Every winter thousands of Bhutanese head for Bodh Gaya and other Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India through local operators that organize the pilgrimage tours. The tours and numbers of Bhutanese pilgrims have been growing dramatically over the last few years. The Bhutanese newspaper, in an investigative report, in January this …

The quality of Bhutan’s education and also the related issue of the inability of educated youth to go beyond government jobs has been two much discussed issues. Two domestic assessments showed that not only is the quality of education in Bhutan  below par, but that our students lack adequate application, …

The Punatsangchu Hydroelectric Project Authority (PHPA) Managing Director R.N Khazanchi has said that the total cost of the right bank stabilization work for P I and the surge shaft stabilization work in P II could cost up to Nu 2.5 bn. In P I, Khazanchi said that though the exact …

More than Nu 6 bn in Fiscal Incentives since 2010 may be at stake The Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa party has filed a case in the high court against the PDP government on tax alteration via Fiscal Incentives which it deems to be unconstitutional. The DNT said that after careful consideration …

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 …