Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay attended the opening of a three-day programme showcasing local products of small start-up businesses at the Clock Tower Square yesterday

As the year of the Monkey gave us His Royal Highness The Gyalsey, ensuring the continuity of the Wangchuck Dynasty, the bird will see the birth of more boys.

Yearender | Agriculture: The agriculture sector, that 58 percent of the population depends on for their livelihood, experienced some major milestones in the year of the Monkey.

Yearender | ARTS & Culture: The Fire Male Monkey Year saw development of art and culture in the country. Art exhibitions and some of the memorable art and literary festivals such as the Mountain Echoes brought together talented artists from both within and outside the country.

Book: Dedicated to His Majesty’s 37th Birth Anniversary, a book documenting Bhutan’s journey after His Majesty The King was enthroned was launched on February 22.

… in a bid to further reduce crime
Yearender |  Crime: The past five years saw a drastic drop in crime rates in the country from 4,697 cases in 2011 to 2,055 in 2015. Battery and assault remained the top crimes committed in the country in 2015, followed by larceny, and then crimes related to drugs.

Human resource shortcomings plague investigating agency
Yearender |  Corruption: The Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) pro-activeness was questioned in the last year, as a result of its, as many perceived, snail pace on several cases.

Yearender |  Parliament: The last two sessions of Parliament were largely fruitful both in terms of fostering democratic practices and enactment of laws.

Yearender | Tourism: Increasing regional tourists and the proposed closure of Taktshang monastery were some of the major issues the tourism sector faced during the fire Monkey year.

Yearender | Education: As the nation observed Teacher’s Day in May, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay flanked by other Cabinet ministers waited in queue to receive over 1,400 teachers at the Royal Institute of Management.