Bhutan Daily News 01-06-23

𝟰𝗚 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗺𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱

The introduction of 4G internet connectivity in Arden village of Pema Gatshel has brought about faster network speeds, allowing people to enjoy reliable data speeds and improved voice call quality. But this advancement has posed challenges for those using old phones that do not support 4G.

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𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗻

Bhutan has been promoting sustainable tourism since the first day we officially opened it to tourism. To understand more about sustainable tourism and its benefits to the communities, our producer S.C. Selden spoke with Tshering Choki who is a board member of the Asian Ecotourism Network and a volunteer with the Bhutan Sustainable Tourism Society. She has also served as a steering committee member of the Trans Bhutan Trail. This is a special program supported by GEF Ecotourism Project called “Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation into the Tourism Sector in Bhutan” under the Department of Tourism, MoICE.

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𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲

In recent years, Bhutan has made significant progress in expanding its agricultural exports to international markets. The National Organic Flagship programme has played an important role in supporting farmers and promoting organic production. One such success story is the export of asparagus to Singapore, which began in April this year.

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𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟮,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿

More than 2,000 civil servants have resigned from office in less than five months this year. This is almost the same as that of 2022 which saw about 2,600 employees quit. But the Royal Civil Service Commission says they are making necessary recruitment's to ensure the functioning of the offices is not affected.

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Tsirang FC C have kept their hopes of qualifying for the BOB premier league alive by defeating BFF Academy today. They won the match with a score of 3-2 and remain in the top four with nine points.

Thimphu Raven FC will take on South Druk United FC tomorrow. Eight teams are taking part in ongoing Bhutan Premier League qualifiers, but only four teams will go through.

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𝐁𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧(𝐁𝐁𝐒𝐀) 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐎𝐂

The Bhutan Baseball and Softball Association (BBSA) has officially become a member of the Bhutan Olympic Committee after a two-year wait. The announcement was made during the sixth BOC General Assembly held in Thimphu yesterday. According to the association, the membership will enable them to actively contribute to the Olympic movement in the country and promote sports at both the grassroots and elite levels. Started as a community association in 2013, baseball and softball grew into a formal association in 2020. Since then, the number of registered players has increased from around 200 to over 2,000 players.

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𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐃 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

In an effort to ensure public safety, drivers with professional driver (PD) licenses are undergoing nationwide drug testing. Within the last two days, 780 individuals with PD licenses have been tested, and no positive cases have been found so far.If anyone tests positive, their license will be immediately suspended or canceled. The individual will be referred to the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital for a comprehensive assessment. If necessary, they will be directed to rehabilitation centers. The testing began on May 29 and will continue for an extended period.

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𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗵𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱

Although watermelon cultivation started on a pilot basis in 2017 in Zhemgang, since then the number of farmers taking up watermelon has grown in the country. The yield has been good and in Zhemgang, farmers are hoping for a lucrative business this year. Among them is 33-year-old Leki Dorji from Goling village who started growing the juicy fruit three years ago. He is now readying his harvest to be transported to Thimphu where a watermelon festival will be conducted this weekend.

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Govt. approves incentives for long-stay tourists waives SDF for official guests of govt, CSO and FDI promoters, and investors

The cabinet approved three different Sustainable Development Fees (SDF) incentives for USD-paying tourists to encourage longer stays and greater exploration of all the 20 dzongkhags.