…to confirm the country’s poverty rate at 12 percent
Poverty: Around 3.2 percent of the Bhutanese population, or more than 23,800 people, earn less than Nu 1,700 a month.
Besides the piddling income, these people are also deprived of access to basic amenities like education, proper sanitation and access to road and electricity.
On the other hand, around 9.5 percent of the population earn more than Nu 1,700 a month, but do not have access to [... Read More]
Safety: Don’t be surprised if the traffic police pull you over this Losar eve, even if you are at no fault!
They will not issue you a ticket, but a Losar greeting card. But don’t forget to flip over the card and read before you chuck it in the dashboard pocket. It has the “dos’ and ‘don’t’’ and safety tips while at the wheel.
As a soft approach to a tough issue, the traffic police [... Read More]
This year proved to be a pleasant surprise for taxpayers used to waiting for hours
PIT: With only two days left, Sonam Wangdi, 50, rushed to the regional revenue and customs office (RRCO) in Thimphu to file his personal income tax (PIT) yesterday.
Inside the office, he asks a fellow taxpayer about the token, which the customs office issued to control the rush of taxpayers at the eleventh hour.
After getting the direction, it only took [... Read More]
Occupation: What started as a hobby about two decades ago has made a lucrative business today for Mani Lal Rai, a beekeeper from Jigmechholing gewog, Sarpang.
When Mani Lal Rai started beekeeping, he placed small wooden boxes near his house for the bees to make hives.
Back then, without much knowledge on beekeeping, he could extract just a few bottles of honey, which commuters on the Gelephu-Zhemgang highway, bought.
Mani Lal Rai owned a small shop [... Read More]
Wildlife: Ten heads of cattle in Athang gewog, Wangduephodrang were killed on the night of February 18 and 19. The villagers suspect the predator to be a tiger.
Two more cows were injured and another six had gone missing since the attack, according to villagers.
The incident, villagers said, took place in a forest three to four hours walk away from the village. The cattle, belonging to five villagers, were let loose in the jungle [... Read More]
Improved irrigation, mechanised farming and high-yielding varieties are among the contributory factors
Agriculture: Despite cyclone Phailin damaging crops across the country, last year’s paddy production is still expected to touch a record high of 88,000MT, which translates to 57,000MT of rice after recovery (threshing).
Cyclone Phailin affected farmers in Paro, Thimphu, Wangduephodrang, Trongsa, and Punakha, and a total of 2,162kg of paddy was estimated damaged in Paro alone.
Based on a report, the food and agriculture [... Read More]
His Majesty the King granted an audience to the General Officer Commanding in Chief (Eastern Command) of the Indian Army, Lieutenant General MMS Rai yesterday.
Both defendant and 104 plaintiffs appealed against the Paro district court verdict
Appeal: The high court’s larger bench on Monday conducted its preliminary hearing on the fraud case, involving a Paro woman and 104 plaintiffs from Paro and Haa.
Both the defendant, Deki from Changkhar in Paro, and the 104 plaintiffs appealed against the Paro court’s judgment rendered within 27 days in December last year.
Paro court passed 188 judgments involving 190 people against Deki, and [... Read More]
A multipronged approach, including bamboo plantation, has reclaimed much fragile land
Land: The massive ravines, gouged by landslides in Lumang, Trashigang, are beginning to see some signs of retreat after the sustainable land management project (SLMP) started in 2009.
The 2000 landslide engulfed vast area of land in villages like Thrumnang, Mochenma and Kotsorong, forcing villagers to evacuate.
Following the looming danger from the landslides, the dzongkhag in 2007, resettled over 108 households from Thrumnang, Kotsorong [... Read More]
On any given day, it is common to see tourists, both foreign and those from the region, taking pictures of the one-storied traditional house on Norzin lam, opposite the clock tower square in the capital.
The little building, although sandwiched between two concrete structures, catches tourist attention because it is one of the few remaining traditional buildings on the city’s main thoroughfare. Others were dismantled years ago and replaced by tall concrete buildings. The capital’s residents [... Read More]
