The Bhutanese Leading the way.
In the recent Question Hour Session of the Parliament, the persistent issue of helicopter fare subsidies for the residents of Nubri and Yaksa Chiwog under Tsento Geog was once again brought to light. Despite being authentic natives of highland regions, these residents are not eligible for subsidized helicopter fares, unlike other highlanders in Bhutan. The Member of Parliament (MP) from Lamgong-Wangchang Constituency, Sonam Tashi, questioned the Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay about this longstanding issue
The issue was raised repeatedly in past meetings but remains unresolved. The question emphasized that while the matter concerns a minority group, it holds significant importance to the nation.
The PM’s response provided insights into the government’s stance and the steps being taken to address the matter.
As directed by the government, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on 21 September 2022, enabling government agencies and the public to avail helicopter services in places inaccessible by other modes of transportation.
The SOP specifies five categories of services for the use of helicopters: transportation of materials, monitoring and supervision of critical programs in high altitude and remote areas; facilitating the transport of teachers for the timely opening of schools in Lunana; disaster activities, such as medical evacuation and firefighting; activities of national importance and programs, including national events; and a helicopter subsidy for the public of Lunana, Lingzhi, and Soe Gewogs.
He said that the Paro Dzongkhag Tshogdu questioned the helicopter subsidy granted to the public of Lunana, Lingzhi, and Soe Gewogs. Paro has two chiwogs, Nubri and Yaksa, under Tsento Gewog, which face similar road inaccessibility conditions.
However, the residents of these chiwogs have not been included in the helicopter subsidy program, despite being part of the highlander communities. The exclusion is primarily because Nubri and Yaksa are situated at a lower altitude, although they remain inaccessible by road.
The Paro Dzongkhag Tshogdu discussed the matter and submitted a request to Druk Air, following the merger of the Royal Bhutan Helicopter Services (RBHS) with Druk Air during the reform, for the same helicopter service subsidy for the public of Nubri and Yaksa chiwogs. However, MoF and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) are not aware of the request, as it was put forward to Druk Air, and neither ministry has received a copy of the letter.
To address such issue, there is a specific procedure that the residents of Nubri and Yaksa should route their request through the Gup of Tsento Gewog to the Dzongdag of Paro Dzongkhag.
The Dzongdag should assess the request based on ground realities, and submit an assessment report to the MoHA, as the subsidy for highlanders is linked to larger national interests, such as security.
MoHA should review and submit the request to the Cabinet for final review and approval. If approved by the Cabinet, the public should again approach the Dzongdag for the use of helicopter services. The Dzongdag should follow the SOP and be responsible and accountable for availing the helicopter services, as the government bears 50 percent of the public’s airfare as a subsidy.
