The first of the two private newspapers, Bhutan Times was launched on April 30 by the Prime Minister, Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup. The prime minister described the start of private media as another step in achieving His Majesty the King’s vision of a free press.

Bhutan Observer, the second private newspaper was launched coinciding with the Coronation Day of His Majesty the Fourth King on June 2.

After much delay and controversies, the plot allotment committee of Bajothang town in Wangduephodrang has finalised a criteria for the allotment of plots to 138 businesses from 230 businesses in the existing town.

In October, farmers of Tangsibi harvested paddy for the first time.

In the same month, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of USD 24.6 million to develop urban facilities in Thimphu, Phuentsholing and Dagana within the next six to seven years. In a historic development for the national electronic media Bhutan Broadcasting Service’s television channel went live nationwide in February.

On April 26, the 60 MW Kurichu Hydroelectric Project was inaugurated by His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the Indian ambassador to Bhutan, Mr. Sudhir Vyas.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bhutan committed Nu.36.765 million to build a 100kW off-grid micro hydroelectric plant in Sengor.

One of the most important Indo-Bhutan projects in the Eight Plan, the eastern transmission grid network which distributes power from the Kurichhu hydro power project to eight dzongkhags in eastern and central Bhutan, was formally inaugurated on June 10 in Kanglung, Trashigang.

Anti- corruption : Almost a year after it was set up in January 4, 2006 the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has made its presence felt and people have begun to feel the impact of this constitutional institution.

The ACC received a total of 283 complaints of which 18 were walk-in-complaints as of December 31, 2006. Misuse of public resources, bribery and collusion, and nepotism were the major forms of corruption alleged in the 283 complaints.

Three officials, a legal officer, a surveyor and a former engineer of the Thimphu City Corporation were forwarded for procecution by the ACC for misusing their authority to manipulate and fabricate city land records.

Towards the end of December 2006, the ACC forwarded three corruption cases to the AGO for prosecution. In one of the cases a former dzongda who is now a government secretary and a former drangpon who is now in judiciary’s research division and local leaders of Wangduephodrang had allegedly effected the illegal transfer of ownership of a 4.5 acre of government land in Phojikha.

After more than three months of investigation ACC associated almost two thirds of the employees, 71, of the Royal Insurance Corporation Limited (RICBL) for “misusing entitlement claims” by forging and creating fictitious bills.

In the first national consultative meeting on April 11, misuse of power and authority at the higher level, tampering and forgery of documents, misuse of public property, natural resources and manpower for individual’s personal gain were identified as some of the deep rooted corrupt practices predominant in the Bhutanese public sector.

ACC conducted a nationwide advocacy programme to sensitise members of the Dzongkhag Yargye Tshogdu, Gewog Yargye Tshogchung and the Dzongkha administration staff on combating corruption.

April 29. The high court sentenced the former managing director of Army Welfare Project, retired Major Pem Tshering, to nine years in prison after finding him guilty of seven charges ranging from misuse of project funds to forgery and criminal activities in connection with the sale of AWP products.

Relations : His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Singye Wangchuck visited India from July 26 to 31 to discuss a range of bilateral and other issues of mutual interest with the Indian leaders including President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, and the Congress Party President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi.

February 8, 2007: His Majesty and Indian Foreign Minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee signs the India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty in New Delhi

The foreign secretary of India, Mr. Shyam Saran’s two-day visit to Bhutan in April was one of the first high level visits from India. Later in October, the newly appointed foreign secretary of India, Mr. Shivshankar Menon, made an official visit to Bhutan.

Accompanied by senior officials of the Danish foreign ministry the development cooperation minister of Denmark, Ms. Ulla Tornaes, was on a five-day official visit to the country on March 24.

The Chief Election Commissioner of India, Mr. B B Tandon, visited Bhutan in May and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to assist Bhutan in preparation for the first national elections.

In the same month, delegates from the member countries of BIMSTEC met in Paro to discuss the possibilities of establishing a cultural industries commission and a cultural industries centre.

In June His Majesty, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck attended the sixtieth anniversary celebrations of the Thai King’s accession to the throne.

A US Congressional delegation led by Republican Congress member Mr. Jim Kolbe also visited Bhutan in August.

The honorary consul of Bhutan to the United Kingdom, Mr. Michael Rutland, was conferred the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire on September 5 in Thimphu by the British High Commissioner to India, Sir Michael Arthur.

The executive director of World Food Programme (WFP), Mr. James T Morris was in the country for a three-day visit in early October to commemorate three decades of partnership between WFP and Bhutan.

In late October the home and cultural affairs minister, Lyonpo Jigmi Y Thinley, led the Bhutanese delegation to the Second Meeting of the SAARC Ministers of Culture in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Mr. Richard A Boucher, the Swiss ambassador to Bhutan, Mr. Dominique Dreyer, and an eight-member EU Troika delegation, led by Mr. Pekka Metso visited the country in November.

On November 24, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck attended the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006 exposition in Thailand. His Majesty officially handed it over to Thai authorities.

Education : With mounting criticism that the quality of education in the country was deteriorating, the government, in August 2006, issued an executive order to reform the education sector even at the cost of other developments.

Curriculum reform, reviewing school activities, enhancing use of ICT in education, infrastructure expansion and enhancing teacher quality were some of the immediate strategies drawn up by the government.

To improve the quality of teachers it was decided that graduates aspiring to become teachers would have to sit for a separate examination after the RCSC common selection examination In September, the education ministry categorised the country’s 465 schools and about 6,000 teachers into various levels akin to the Position Classification System to create a structure within a system that rewarded the performance.

Eight education officials were found involved in siphoning Nu. 3.3 million from a project fund offered for rural education development.

The National Assembly resolved to have a second degree college in the country. It was decided that the Tala complex, built on a 289-acre of land would be handed over to the Royal University of Bhutan in phases by December 2007 to start a second degree college.

In its move towards replacing the decades old Delhi University programmes, Sherubtse, the country’s only college in Trashigang introduced the new Royal University of Bhutan programmes in July 2006.

The new programme began four-year degree courses in Dzongkha, Computer sciences and business administration to replace the three-year Delhi University course.

Governance : In early November, the foreign ministry announced that Bhutanese travelling abroad with the new machine-readable passport would no longer need to surrender their passports on arrival.

In October, the Lhengye Zhuntshog revised the urban land rates. The revision varies from Nu.13 a square feet to a maximum of Nu.470 a square feet depending from town to town and from dzongkhag to dzongkhag.

The Royal Civil Service Commission in October announced that all the 14 dungkhags would have their own separate dungkhag courts by 2008.

On September 1, the prime minister issued an executive order directing the ministries and agencies to share information within themselves and with the public.

218 gups, chimis, and mangmis from the 201 gewogs were briefed on the electoral process and the delimitation exercise

218 gups, chimis, and mangmis from the 201 gewogs attended a week-long conference in Thimphu where they were briefed about the electoral process and the delimitation exercise in September.

On July 3, the Anti Corruption Commission was formally empowered with the enactment of the Anti Corruption Act. The National Assembly later in December endorsed three acts, The National Judicial Service Act, the Labour and Employment Act, and the Immigration Act.

In preparation to the electoral process in 2008, the prime Minister issued an executive order on June 19, which was endorsed by the National Assembly, to change the gewog and dzongkhag boundary.

Civil servants were made to declare their personal assets including assets registered in the names of their spouse or children on June 2.

The final draft version of the Constitution of Bhutan with changes incorporated in some of its provisions has been readied for launch.

On the command of His Majesty the King, the functions and responsibilities of the office of the Gyalpoi Zimpon has been reformed to improve effectiveness in identifying and in reaching citizens in need of kidu. A new Gyalpoi Zimpon, Penjore, has also been appointed in January.

In January, the Royal Civil Service Commission decentralized the powers of recruitment, transfer, promotion, short-term training, and appointment of civil servants in the ‘Operations’ category to the agencies in ministries and dzongkhags.

Health : The rabies outbreak, which was first detected and reported in eastern Bhutan claimed three lives in 2006.

An installed Computerised tomography (CT) scanner at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital

A nine-year old boy, a teenager, and a senior civil servant died of rabies.

Eleven new HIV infections were detected in November 2006, taking the total number of Bhutanese infected with HIV to 101.

For speedy diagnosis, better medical treatment and reduction of patient referrals outside the country the Thimphu national referral hospital installed a Nu. 100 million Indian government funded CT Scan and MRI equipment on July 5.

A nation wide Rubella campaign began on March 16

With the strain of bird flu being reported in India and other neighbouring countries, the country imposed an indefinite ban on the import of poultry and its products from India in February. As a part of its preparedness plan, the health ministry had procured a small quantity of the antiviral drug oseltamivir, commonly sold under the name Tamiflu, the chief weapon against H5N1 virus in April. The number has however, increased to about 4,000 tablets as of January 2007.

The ban on egg and chicken was lifted in October with import allowed only from government recognised suppliers.

The nation wide Rubella campaign began on March 16 with 1,492 vaccination booths set up across the country to inoculate children between nine months and 14 years and all women from 15 years to 44 years.