24 January, 2009 - The final approved tenth plan outlay is at Nu 148.074 billion, up by about Nu 7 billion from the draft plan.

The growth rate for Bhutan’s GDP for the period is projected at 7.7 percent, down from it’s earlier projection of 8.8 percent. The resource gap has increased to 4.15 percent, up from earlier 3.40 percent. The fiscal deficit has doubled to 6.76 percent, from 3.40 percent projected earlier.

Budget allocated for ministries Ministries 98,806.326 67.56%. Ministry of Agriculture 8,123.602 5.55% Ministry of Education 10,364.252 7.09% Ministry of Finance 30,332.411 20.74% Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1,767.144 1.21 % Ministry of Health 8,570.304 5.86% Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs 7,302.243 4.99% Ministry of Information and Communications 4,338.460 2.97 % Ministry of Labour and Human Resources 2,188.738 1.50% Ministry of Economic Affairs 6,820.717 4.66% Ministry of Works and Human Settlement 18,998.455 12.99%

On the bright side, there are additional targets for various ministries. Many of them are linked to the DPT commitments of electricity for all by 2013, 10,000 MW by 2020, Medical college, teacher training center in the east, access to primary schools, three doctors for every dzongkhag, farm roads, agricultural development, and reduction of people living under the poverty line to less then 15 percent by the end of the plan.

In the revised plan the main change was in education. Explaining this, GNHC Secretary Karma Tshiteem said: “During the interim government, the approach to education was of consolidation, by trying to introduce boarding from class 3 to 5. The new government wants to take schools as close to the communities as possible.”

The local government capital budget has been slashed from Nu 15 billion to Nu 12 billion. “When the new government came, they had made commitments and we took the new government’s commitments which was sent back to the local government to give them the opportunity to revisit their choices,” said Karma Tshiteem.

The objectives are Poverty Reduction, Enhanced Democratic Local Governance and Effective and Efficient service delivery.

The plan is, however, now silent on the proposed International Gelephu Airport present in the earlier draft plan. Similarly there is a major reduction in the length of highway linking the southern-east and west highway from 247 km to 127 km.

A new section added to the plan is inspired by the global financial crisis. Financial institutions will be strengthened and supervised and also include modernizing payment system, enhancing credit availibity, introducing T-bills, new RMA branches and new credit information bureau, and strengthening the legal system.

The ministry of agriculture has set and enhanced major new targets like food security by increasing crop productions, income generation, employment generation, service delivery, access to natural resources, bio diversity.

In tourism the new additions are new regulations to develop facilities, get new trekking routes, adventure sports, promote Bhutan as meetings destination, conseravtion of old hertiage sites and greater access, and specail support to toruism in esater and soutern Bhutan.

In mining the new addition is to discover more despoists and review mining law and policy with best practice guidelines.

For Hydropower the 10 sites have been identified as Punatsangchu 1 and 2, mangdechu, bunakha, wangchu, chamkarchu, kholongchu, kuri gongri, amochu and sunkosh reservoir scheme. The Hydrpower generation target of 2705 MW has been made lesser to1602 MW for the plan .

The earlier five towns growth centers have now been upgraded to ten which are paro, punakha, gelephu, wangdue, bumthang, gyelpoizhing, mongar, kanglung, samdrup jongkhar, pemagatshel, nganglam and samtse.

The trade and industrial targets have decreased but there is an increase of 10 percent growth in FDI.

The Finance Minister Lyonpo Wangdi Norbu made it clear that the plan is flexible to changes.

A new feature in the Plan compared to the 9th Plan is a strategic framework to reduce poverty via vitalizing industry, rural-urban development, infrastructure, investment in human capital and good governance.