Picture story
The prime minister, cabinet ministers and members of the opposition party offered Chawang to His Majesty the King on April 20 on the completion of the National Assembly’s five year term
Sunday, May 19th, 2013 - 3:47 PM
Mongar schools close, teachers on election duty
With more than eighty-seven teachers of Mongar schools involved in the conduct of the second National Council election, most of the schools in the dzongkhag are closed.
Election officials said 80 percent of the 58 schools in Mongar, including three higher secondary schools, two middle secondary schools, one private school and extended classrooms, have been closed since April 18.
This was considered, after carefully determining that they will be able to cover their school syllabus on time.
Officials [... Read More]
Trashigang is all set to go to the polls
By yesterday, except for nearby ones, most polling stations in Trashigang have in place officials and security personnel conducting the poll on April 23.
“Everything will be ready for the poll by 9am today,” Trashigang electoral officer, Tshering Phuntsho, said.
For the 79 polling stations in the dzongkhag, the highest in the country, there are 79 presiding officers, 395 poll officials and 241 security personnel.
Catering to these officials are 22 vehicles on election duty.
The first teams to [... Read More]
Editorial
Poll day is upon us
With just a day to go to elect a new council, predictions on likely winners are the order of the day.
Some are based on how they appeared on the televised debates, and some on the family and relative networks backing them.
In all likelihood, the intervention of the divine would have been sought. Soothsayers would have been consulted.
Two names from across the border pop up every now and then that some Bhutanese consult quite regularly when [... Read More]
Opposition members hang up kabney, patang
They donned on the white kabney, a mark they said was of humility, signifying they’re ordinary citizen
No sooner had the National Assembly dissolved on April 20, the two members of the opposition folded their coloured kabneys (scarves) and hung up their patangs (swords).
They donned on the white kabney, slightly over an hour after the ceremonial processions observed at the assembly hall to mark the completion of the first democratically elected members’ five-year terms.
The two walked [... Read More]
Samtse preps up for poll day
Off on duty: Some 69 presiding officials and polling officers are deployed to conduct polls in 15 gewogs of SamtseThe seven National Council candidates of Samtse are hardly wearing the “anxiety look” on their faces.
Having met with voters until 9am yesterday, candidates said they have covered all the gewogs, and that they were not worried about the outcome of the poll day.
Some of them have decided to attend the “unfolding” of postal ballot envelope “A”, bearing identity declaration certificate (IDC) of the postal voters, with the returning officers and observers.
The procedure, undertaken before opening [... Read More]
How to deal with online libel?
A recent case saw a website blocked though the efficacy of such an action is questionable
Given that a banned or blocked website is still accessible using bypass methods, observers within the information technology sector suggest alternative methods be explored to deal with online defamation or libel posted by anonymous persons.
Recently, the Bhutan Infocomm and Media authority (BICMA) blocked an anonymous website, after a libel lawsuit was filed in the Phuentsholing district court. The case concerned [... Read More]
What ministers take, leave
Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba
Works & Human
Settlement
One of the 10th plan targets was to provide affordable housing for people, particularly those in urban centres, across the country. Where are they?
National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC) has been entrusted this responsibility.
The main reason was there was no money. In order to do so, now we have corporatised NHDC to give it the necessary administrative flexibility. But they [... Read More]
Picture story
Gyaltshab and Bhutan Olympic Committee president Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuk with winners of the 56th National Rifle Shooting competition which ended in Hyderabad on April 20 and officials of the National Rifle Shooting Association of India. Gyaltshab was invited to be the chief guest for the event.
Lease signed to own home after 25 years
About 100 people living in 32 units in Changjiji benefit from the scheme
After seven years, families living in the 12 grey buildings adjacent the school of the Changjiji housing complex, were finally given ownership of the house.
The residents signed a lease agreement yesterday with works and human settlement minister Yeshey Zimba and officials from National Housing Development Corporation.
The houses built sometime in 2005 comprise 32 units that today, accommodate more than 100 people.
Going by the [... Read More]