THE NATION

To ensure that children with disabilities are able to access early learning interventions, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and UNICEF inaugurated Bhutan’s first model inclusive Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) center in Changangkha Middle Secondary School yesterday. The model inclusive ECCD center is designed for children with disabilities and …

The Tax Bill of Bhutan 2022 introduced in Parliament touches a wide array of products where there are both increases and decreases (see Box 1 and 2). When it comes to increases one of the major reasons was for promoting good health which is where items like tobacco, betel nut, …

Today, coinciding with the auspicious 15th Day of the 9th Month of the Bhutanese Calendar, the Chairperson of the National Council of Bhutan received the Royal Kasho from the Golden Throne and read to the Members on the historic Gyalsung Bill of the Kingdom of Bhutan 2022.  As per the …

On the invitation of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army, General Manoj Pande, the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Royal Bhutan Army, Lieutenant General Batoo Tshering was in India for a six- day visit. During the visit the Chief Operations Officer met the Chief of Defence …

The Draft Clean Wage Document of the Ministry of Finance in phase two of the Clean Wage reform recommends exiting all in house drivers from the civil service, remove office cars, do away with the system of of traveling in private cars and claiming mileage. It says this service could …

The Draft Clean Wage document sent from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Education has pointed to various abuses of the TA/DA system calling it all unethical practices and gaming of the system and so will suggest reforms to it. The document says that while TA/DA and mileage …

Usha Drukpa/ Thimphu 18-year-old Deki Lhazom from Trashigang is the first Bhutanese woman footballer to play in a professional league in Saudi Arabia. She started playing football at the age of eight. She shared that she started playing football when she was just eight years old and while in Chukha, …

Usha Drukpa/ Thimphu With the removal of cut-off points and absorption of class X students in public schools, many private schools across the country will be discontinuing higher school sections from 2023.  According to sources, most schools, like Sonam Kuenphen Higher Secondary School in Bumthang, Utpal Higher Secondary School in …

Meanwhile BDBL reduces NPL from 17.37% to 9.22% with RMA set target being 7.5% With the Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) suspending all loans including Bank Guarantees (BG) of Bhutan Development Bank Limited (BDBL), Royal Insurance Corporation Limited (RICBL) and Cottage and Small Industries (CSI) bank, Gups say rural livelihood has …

The doing away of the Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC) and the transfer of its various divisions to the Cabinet, Ministry of Finance and Center of Bhutan and GNH Studies has raised questions on how these agencies will play the key planning, policy vetting and coordination role of the erstwhile …