The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Disaster management training in Tsirang
The department of disaster management (DDM) of home and cultural affairs ministry is conducting a Training of Trainer (ToT) Program on community-based disaster risk management training in Tsirang. The program officer of DDM, Thinley Palden, said the training aims to educate the participants on disaster risk management. On completion of the training, the participants will train people in their respective gewogs. The program started on 24 will end on 30th April. The workshop is funded by the government and UN in Bhutan. It was also supported by the Tsirang Joint Support Program co-ordinated by Gross National Happiness Commission and the Representative Office of Denmark. The disaster management department has conducted the ToT on disaster management in 13 dzongkhags, including Tsirang. (Sonam Choden)
A farm road each for two villages
A farm road each will be constructed for Chimmina and Khangku villages under Wangchang gewog, Paro. The road being constructed in Chimmina village will be 0.5-km long while Khangku will get a 1-km long farm road. The project has long been on the cards but been ignored for lack of funds. The two farm roads will benefit around 20 village households. (Yeshey Tshewang)
Gewog lhakhang to be completed in a year
The construction of a gewog lhakhang which started at Tsholingkhar Toe on 26th April will cost Nu 2.5 mn from which Nu 1.5 mn will go into the building construction and Nu 1.0 mn for the statues (Ku). “There was no proper site in other chiwogs so Tsholingkhar Toe was selected as the location; the site was good, too,” said the Tsholingkhar Toe Gup, Lok Bahadur Mongar. It will take around a year from now to complete. (Sonam Choden)
Blessings from Terton Pema Lingpa’s Ku
More than 4,000 people are expected to gather and get blessings from Tertoen Pema Lingpa’s statue on 1st May in Monggar gewog under Mongar dzongkhag. Starting 25th April, the people of Monggar have been performing rituals which will be followed by blessings from Tertoen Pema Lingpa’s statue and other prominent statues from the Mongar Dzong on the last day of the Tshog-Bum ritual. Tshog Bum which is performed for the well being of the people was led by the Je Khenpo with Khenpo Ngawang Tenzin of Monggar. The Monggar gup, Dechen Yeshey said, “Such times come only once in a year so we are really happy as it provides an opportunity for people to come together and have a good time.” (Ugyen Dorji)
10th FYP activities nearing completion
In Bjokha gewog, almost 80% of the lhakhang renovation, Rural Water Supply Scheme (RWSS), and toilet constructions have been completed. All these works are supposed to end by June this year. The 30-km gewog centre road construction from Neshuka Zam (Panbang) to the gewog centre is half-way through. Electrification is underway. All these developmental activities will be benefiting 137 households. (Tashi Deki)
A water source, irrigation channel completed; vegetable market underway
The water source and an irrigation channel were completed and handed over to the Thedtsho gewog authority recently. Building of the vegetable market will begin soon. A six-km farm road to Matalunchu which is expected to benefit 45 households is underway so that villagers will have better chances to sell their cash crops to the nearest market. “Since the local government elections took place, it has become difficult for us to complete the infrastructure on time as all these developmental activities are part of 10th FYP,” said Thedtsho Gup Phub Namgay The gewog has received foreign aid of Nu 1.08 mn for the construction of additional irrigation channels. (Dawa Zangmo)
Oungar finally gets a farm road
The 37-km farm road from the villages Gorgan to Oungar under Metsho gewog, Lhuntse, which started from 2009 was finally completed in March this year. At the initial stage, the gewog did not have a separate budget for the road so the funds allocated for seeds and trainings were used. Later however, the gewog got a budget of Nu 10 mn from the government for the purpose. After the completion of the road, 150 households of six villages were benefitted including a community primary school and a Basic Health Unit (BHU). According to the gup, Tshering Samdrup, villagers are so happy that they have already started to work on fruit tree plantations. “They are planning to export fruits as one of their cash crops in the future,” he said. (Sonam Choki)
A Tshechu concludes and an irrigation channel maintained
A three-day Tshechu conducted at the Ugyen Thekchok Choling Shedra in Trongsa, organized by the Gangtey Trulku concluded on 16th April. Around 50 monks travelled all the way from Gangtey Goenpa in Wangduephodrang to perform the ritual The Tshechu was headed by Kolay Truelku of Kolay Goenpa in Bumthang. Around 35 households of two villages: Karshong and Gagar contributed rice and dairy products for the occasion. The Tshechu is conducted every year on the 23rd day of the second month in the Bhutanese calendar.Apart from this, 25 households of a village under this gewog has benefitted by the maintenance of an irrigation channel. The irrigation channel will be supplying water to more than 20 acres of land.“A sum of Nu 0.1 mn was spent on the maintenance work”, said the gup, Tashi Penden.The villagers took responsibility for all the works.(Sonam Choki)
