Water scarcity at Sarpang resettlements
Fields have fallen fallow and farmers look for manual work

No flow: A dry tap stand in Umling

21 December, 2009 - The temperature has dropped and the rains that caused streams and rivers to swell and block roads have stopped. It is a perfect winter in Sarpang’s Umling and Tarithang, located at the foothills of the black mountain range. But, at this time of year, water is scarce in the gewogs.
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Rebuilding Yongla from the ground

The damaged walls of the goenpa

21 December, 2009 - The Guru Dorji Droley lhakhang at Yongla goenpa in Pemagatshel that suffered major damages in the September 21 earthquake will be rebuilt from the ground, according to the Pemagatshel Lam Neten, Jambay Sangay.
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Bhutanese anthropologist wins award
CBS’s Dorji Penjor wins accolades in Australia for his Master’s thesis

Dorji Penjore and (inset) the J G Crawford prize

21 December, 2009 - Dorji Penjore, a senior researcher at the centre for Bhutan studies (CBS) has been awarded the Australian national university’s (ANU) prestigious JG Crawford prize 2008.
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Bhutan Observer

Amo Chhu project eyes foreign investment
After two years of delay, the cabinet secretariat has directed the Ministry of Works and Human Settlements to explore possibilities of foreign investments to implement the Ammo Chhu land reclamation project in Phuentsholing.
Phuentsholing Thrompon Kunzang Norbu said the project implementation was delayed due to lack of funds and the parliamentary elections.
“We presented the project to […]    [read more]

Singing show controversy
Druk Star, the organizer of a similar show, Bhutan Star, which started a year earlier, says it is not fair that someone starts the same programme without informing him.
Nguldrub Dorjiks, the organiser of Bhutan Star, said that when he first brought in the concept of the show, he had a lot of hindrances but someone […]    [read more]

Bhutan’s first industrial design certificate
The Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs handed over the first industrial design certificate to the creator on December 14 in Thimphu.
Kinzang Wangdi was the first person to receive the industrial design certificate after the Industrial Designs Registry became operational on May 1, 2009. Two of his designs were approved and registered, which means […]    [read more]

Ngultrum- rupee peg prudent, RMA
Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan (RMA) says the existing peg exchange rate arrangement with India is prudent for Bhutan’s economy.
According to Managing Director of RMA, Daw Tenzin, because of the close economic ties with India and low level of integration with the international financial market, the RMA’s choice on peg arrangement is appropriate. In addition, […]    [read more]

Prank callers misuse toll-free numbers
Toll-free numbers like 113 and 112 have become a pain for police stations and hospitals in the eastern dzongkhags with increasing number of prank calls.
113 is a toll-free service in police stations to report crime, fire and road accidents. 112 is a toll-free service in hospitals to report accidents and other medical emergencies.
According to police […]    [read more]

Druk Star audition begins
The first round of audition for Druk Star, a singing show, was held in Thimphu on December 15.
Thirty-three eager contestants, most of them students, turned up for the audition at Norbuling Drayang.
Thirty-year-old Nim Dorji, a traffic policeman, was the first to be auditioned. He was participating in a singing competition for the first time. He […]    [read more]

Bhutan and carbon trading – The neo comparative advantage?
That Bhutan is at the forefront of preservation and conservation is well known worldwide. Now is the time for Bhutan to use the advantage that accrues from its policies on environmental conservation for bargaining in the global carbon bazaar.
Bhutan’s story on environmental conservation and abatement of climate change has been one of consistency and sustainability. […]    [read more]

Bhutan discusses defences against global financial crises
Bhutan will suffer more from external crises. However, the country has no choice but to integrate into the world economic system. It is critical for the country to draw lessons from recent events and experiences of other countries in order to be prepared for the future, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba said.
As the world recovers from the […]    [read more]

Bangladeshis celebrates victory day
The Bangladeshi community in Bhutan gathered at the chancery building of embassy of Bangladesh in Thimphu to celebrate its Bijôe Dibôsh (victory day) on Wednesday.
The day was marked with a simple ceremony. In the morning, the Bangladeshi national flag was hoisted and the national anthem sung. In the evening, the ambassador read out the message […]    [read more]

Labour offices go east
Ministry of Labour and Human Resources (MoLHR) opened two regional offices – one each in Trashigang and Samdrup Jongkhar – on December 15 and 18 respectively to curb the problem of rural-urban migration of youth in search of work.
According to the ministry, the primary objective of establishing the regional offices is to enhance employment facilitation […]    [read more]

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