Recognition: The best was saved for the last.

His Majesty The King conferred the coveted bura marp to the chairperson of Royal Civil Service Commission, Dasho Karma Tshiteem yesterday, making him the sole red scarf recipient at the 108th National Day celebrations in Paro yesterday.

Karma Tshiteem has been serving in the civil service for 26 years, His Majesty The King said and that he had earlier served in the capacity of the Secretary of the Gross National Happiness Commission for seven years, during which, he ensured that the plans under the 10th Plan were executed successfully.

“The red scarf is awarded to him with the expectation that he will continue serving in his new role with the same level of dedication,” His Majesty The King said. “The Kabney and Patag have deep symbolism- the kabney represents the compassion of the Buddha,  inspired by whom the wearer serves the people, and the patag represents the strength with which the wearer would protect their nation whenever the need arises.”

Dasho Karma Tshiteem, 50, was appointed as the chairperson of RCSC through a Royal Kasho on March 31 last year.

“I am deeply grateful to His Majesty for this great honour and will always strive to remain worthy of it,” Dasho Karma Tshiteem said. Searching for words between handshakes and pats on the back, he said, “I would also like to share this joy with my family, friends and colleagues, particularly those who I worked with in the GNH commission and now in the Royal Civil Service Commission.”

Dasho Karma Tshiteem began his career in 1989 as an assistant finance officer. He has a Masters degree in Business Administration from Canberra, Australia.

As the chairperson of the RCSC is being recognized today, His Majesty The King said it is an occasion to reflect on the importance of the civil service in nation building.

“We cannot foresee what will be the required strength and responsibilities of the civil service in the future, but today, their greatest duty is to ensure that all the objectives of the 11th Five-Year-Plan are realized,” His Majesty said.

“As a developing country, our people still have many difficulties, and the foundations of our new democratic system need to be strengthened further. In these endeavours, there is still a great deal of work that must be done,” His Majesty said.

The civil service is the strongest in terms of numbers, investment, skills, and experience, His Majesty The King said.

“Therefore, the greatest responsibilities towards nation building fall on the civil servants. They must utilize their approximately 200 workdays a year, as well as our limited resources, judiciously to bring benefit to Bhutan for generations,” His Majesty said. “Our small size means that we can achieve greater efficiency and speed in all our work. The civil servants must work with the greatest cooperation and harmony to achieve the best results. We must pave our own road ahead for a bright future.”

Tshering Palden 

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