Focus point

Making money from Rupee shortage

Bank official, local and Indian businessmen collude to remit INR illegally

Corruption: The central bank’s measures to curb the outflow of the scarce INR (Indian Rupee) and ease the pressure on the economy, it seems, have opened a window for illegal currency trading.

Since restrictions to stop issuing or replenishing INR requirement for commercial banks and operation guidelines for Indian rupee transactions were put in place in 2012, over INR 70.056 M were repatriated.

Those involved [... Read More]

Tour licence cancelled over visa forgery

Apart from that, the tour operator was fined Nu 20,000

Immigration: Following the deportation of two German tourists who had flown into the country with forged visas on March 6, tourism council officials cancelled licenses of the tour operator through which they had come.

The German tourists had flown into Paro airport from Kathmandu, Nepal through the Himalayan Kingdom Tours for a weeklong visit. However, after immigration officials at the airport found that their visas [... Read More]

Picture story

Guest speaker, former foreign secretary of India, Shyam Saran speaks on ‘Climate Change: Why Should Bhutan Worry?’ at the Friday Forum of Royal Institute of Governance and Strategic Studies in Phuentsholing yesterday.
His Majesty the King, accompanied by Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen, graced the Friday Forum.

Towards greener economy

Former agriculture minister and opposition leader, Dr Pema Gyamtsho, speaks at the “back to the fields for agribusiness” session

Summit: What adulations the country receives for the green economy it practices by generating clean electricity through hydropower is diluted by its import of fossil fuel.

The same is with the revenue it generates from hydropower.

Therefore, electric vehicles, panelists of one of the sessions at Better Business Summit, said could be the solution, an areas where the country could invest in green economy.

Recycling, ecotourism, organic farming and supplying energy efficient construction materials among others [... Read More]

Editorial

What now?

What Next? A plausible question that crops up after the end of a summit like the one on better business that ended yesterday.

This will certainly be the question on minds of most businessmen who desperately wish to spring up from the stunning blow the persisting problem of Rupee shortage continues to render.

After all, much of the ideas and solutions that were discussed during the two-day seminar, like one panelist pointed out, was something the country [... Read More]

Green economy must address rural livelihood

ICIMOD’s Director General David Molden (second from left) speaks at the green economy session of the Better Business Summit in Thimphu

ICIMOD: How can the concept of green economy be made more relevant to the poor mountain farmers? Would green economy address issues surrounding rural livelihood?

These were a couple of questions the director general of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), David Molden, addressed at the green economy session of the Better Business Summit yesterday.

He said that although Bhutan has some wonderful pro-green policies, the pressures of globalisation couldn’t be ignored. “Bhutan [... Read More]

A bit of housekeeping to begin with

In agreement: Panelists see eye to eye on the need to harmonise policies

Summit: Participants, both local and international ones agreed on one thing during the closing of the three-day Better Business Summit yesterday – for it to translate into something tangible.

To start with, the need to harmonise government policies, rules and regulation and strengthen ministries and institutions was strongly felt.

This, a panelist during one of the sessions believed would help clear the many hurdles that stood between recommendations the summit listed and the achievements it [... Read More]

More higher schools retain top 10 spot

Schools: Fourteen schools have maintained their position as the country’s 40 best performing schools in the past two years.

Eight higher secondary and five middle secondary schools held their top 10 spots in the last two years.

None of the top 10 schools of 2012 in the class four to six level secured their positions last year. Only Wangchu MSS retained the PP to Class III top list.

Jallas PS, Ganglakhema PS, and Pemagatshel MSS are [... Read More]

Another windstorm hits Pemagatshel

Khar gewog: The third house in Pemagatshel to be damaged by windstorms

Windstorm: While damages of the first windstorm are still being assessed, another storm damaged an additional house in Pemagatshel.

On March 26, a home in Khenzong under Khar gewog was damaged. Roofs of two houses were blown away by the March 19 windstom.

Royal insurance corporation of Bhutan (RICB) officials said the foundation of the house, damaged by the second storm, was already weakened by the first storm.  It collapsed from one side and bore [... Read More]