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As the poll day for the National Council election draws closer, some rural communities continue to grapple with limited access to television and mobile Internet for information. However, despite these challenges, common forums have emerged as an effective means to educate villagers and enable them to make informed choices. Our correspondent, Thinley Dorji, found out a first-hand account of the impact these forums are having in Pema Gatshel. Without willing kidney donors coming forward, the dialysis centers in the country are under pressure. There are only seven districts in the country that have a dialysis facility today. And in Thimphu, the situation is much worse. Patients from other districts come to Thimphu due to better services. Besides, the country has only two nephrologists who are both stationed in the capital. With the rise in the number of patients with kidney failure, their workload has also increased. A forest fire at Kalapang_Risa Chiwog under Saling Gewog in Monggar which started on Saturday is still raging. More than 550 acres of area have been burnt according to foresters. As firefighters cannot access most of the area due to steep terrain, measures are being taken to save nearby villages and infrastructure.Meanwhile, another fire which started yesterday afternoon below Sungkara village in Kengkhar Gewog has yet to be contained. Around 50 acres of forest have been burnt. The cause of both the fires is not known yet. Around 200 firefighters are battling the fires. More than a year and a month after the Khamdang-Ramjar by-election in Trashiyangtse, the people of Khamdang are still waiting for the government to fulfill the pledges that the MP made then. The Supreme Court (SC) recently overturned lower courts’ decision and upheld the decision of the College of Language and Culture Studies (CLCS) to not reinstate the seven lecturers involved in the sexual harassment of female students. With massive expansion taking place in Gelephu, waste is likely to be one of the biggest problems facing the city if plans are not put in place at the earliest. The landfill at Samtenling is quickly filling up, as waste comes from many gewogs to the site. Given the frequent fire incidents resulting in huge property losses and lives, local leaders in Trashigang proposed a fire engine at Rangjung police station for the northern gewogs of Trashigang. Trashigang town is unsafe from all kinds of natural disasters according to an assessment by experts from Trashigang dzongkhag administration. Politicking at the local level has gained momentum in Sarpang and more voters are turning up for common forums. After attending the common forum at the Chhuzanggang, Tashi Rinchen, 66, scans the election board where candidates have their pledges.

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Paro becomes spectacular during its own festival, Paro Tsechu. With the majestic dzong, lush valleys and a pristine river, the town looks nothing less than a painting. And this time, Paro Tsechu saw the biggest crowd ever raising the need for more space. Although there are no official records of how many witnessed the festival, the area where the festival is performed was overcrowded with over 7,000 devotees. The Tama High School in Zhemgang is finally set to open in the upcoming academic year, following a one-year delay. The school was a private institution that the government acquired in 2018 to convert into a government school. The reopening of the school has brought much joy to the locals in Tingtibi and Tama, who are eager to take advantage of the increased economic opportunities it will provide. The annual local Tshechu at Toewang Gewog’s Nya-Lhakhang in Punakha has turned out to be a crowd-puller in recent years. As a growing number of people throng the festival, accommodating spectators has become a challenge for the Lhakhang. As a result, locals are requesting the concerned authority to extend the area. Villagers of Phuentshogthang, Samdrupchhoeling and Dungkarling in Samdrup Jongkhar’s Phuentshogthang Gewog have long been guarding their crops and properties against wild animal attacks. However, the villages are now surrounded by a new three-and-a-half-kilometre-long chain-link and electric fencing. The new fencing, which was inaugurated recently, is expected to be more effective in keeping wild animals away from houses and fields. For generations, ploughing fields has been traditionally viewed as a job reserved for men. Women, on the other hand, were often tasked with harvesting and processing crops. However, this gender-based division of labor may be shifting as more and more women are utilizing mini tillers to take control of their own farming needs. And in Samtse, the distribution of women-friendly power mini tillers is helping this cause. Chimi Dema, a 41-year-old resident of Dorokha village in Samtse, has traveled to Samtse town to purchase one of the mini tillers being distributed by the district agriculture sector. The 7-kilometer Chhuzanggang Gewog Centre road in Sarpang is filled with dangerous potholes, posing risks to travellers.The road turns into a mud soup during monsoon and residents are frustrated with the worsening road condition. Chencho Gyeltshen debuted for Machhindra Football Club (MFC) of Nepal in the draw against Himalayan Sherpa FC in the Martyr’s Memorial A-Division League on April 6. The common forum at Gongzim Ugyen Dorji Central School for people of Wangtsa and Haa Throm on April 5 witnessed a dismal attendance with only 32 voters. The common forums for NC in Samtse ended yesterday with the final forum at Samtse Throm which witnessed the lowest voter attendance of 30. The candidates started the common forum from Doongtoed Gewog on March 20.

The Wangdue Phodrang Police have arrested another suspect, a 25-year-old man from Sephu in connection with the alleged murder of a 34-year-old man on the night of February 8. He was arrested on Monday after a tip-off. According to reports, the suspect confessed to the crime. As per the suspect, the deceased had forcefully stopped his vehicle and provoked him by displaying a knife. In a heated argument, he snatched the knife and hit the deceased. The incident took place while the deceased was returning from one of the shops at Chazam. He was found dead in a roadside drain the next morning.Meanwhile, the police had initially taken the deceased’s friend, who was also a suspect, for interrogation, but he was later released on bail by the District Court. The case is still under investigation. The fire that started above the Pamtsho/Samtenling area has been contained. According to eyewitnesses, they heard a loud sound of the electric short circuit at around 3 PM. They suspect that the fire could have been caused by the sparks from the electric wires. No casualties have been reported. The Police are investigating the case. By May, residents of Gayzor village in Samdrup Jongkhar’s Dewathang Gewog will no longer have to worry about meeting their daily drinking water needs. A new water supply line is currently being constructed from the Chhenari and Khorpam stream to the village. The village’s current water source at Lemsorong is shared by other institutions in the area, resulting in water shortages. Access to quality education remains a challenge for students with disabilities, despite the country’s focus on inclusivity and diversity. The Special Educational Needs, SEN, the programme provides hope for these students to learn and grow in an environment that caters to their specific needs. However, at the Sonamgang Primary School in Phuentshogling, limited disabled-friendly facilities pose significant challenges for both teachers and students. Roads are an important enabling environment for improving living conditions in rural areas. Likewise, the people of Wungborang and Nomey villages in Pema Gatshel were elated when the village was connected with a farm road. However, the road gets blocked every summer creating inconveniences for the people. Experiencing landslides, the road remains blocked for months, especially during summer if not cleared. The National Biodiversity Centre recently made an exciting discovery – two previously unknown species of aquatic snails in a stream near the Royal Thimphu College. Through thorough analysis of both morphological and DNA data, the research team was able to confirm the existence of these new species. This discovery is a positive indication of the health of the country’s forest ecosystem. In the ongoing Women’s Olympic Qualifiers, Bhutan defeated Jordan 2-1 to keep their Olympic dream alive. Despite ending the first half nil-nil, Bhutan managed to break the deadlock, courtesy of a long-range goal from Namgyel Dema in the 65th minute of the match. Bhutan doubled the lead 10 minutes later through a wonderfully worked finish from Sunita Rai. Jordan managed to pull one goal back in the dying minutes of the match. Bhutan will play its final group match against Timor-Leste on Tuesday. With the win, Bhutan now has a mathematical chance to make it to the next round of qualifiers. The equation for the Bhutanese team is simple. Beat Timor-Leste in the last match with as many goals as possible and hope that Jordan and Timor-Leste manage to hold Uzbekistan to a draw to even better, defeat Uzbekistan. Gone are the days when sunset used to bring all sporting activities to a halt in Samtse. The much-anticipated installation of floodlights at the Samtse Artificial-Turf Football ground is finally complete. Besides providing the luxury of enjoying football matches at night, the floodlight facility is expected to give a new lease of life to the growth of football in the district. The floodlight facility was inaugurated yesterday. During the recent dzongkhag tshogdu (DT), local leaders in Trashigang expressed concerns over the welfare of animals in the area. The DT members sought to find a permanent solution to address the issue of free-ranging animals in villages.

In Dagana District, Thasa Chiwog has long been one of most remote areas, situated an hour’s walk from the nearest road point in Burichhu along the Tsirang-Wangdue Phodrang highway. The residents of Thasa have had to endure a challenging life, carrying everything they need to and from the road point on their backs along a steep footpath, making the journey both arduous and time-consuming. However, a new farm road is set to change things for the better. Expected to be completed next month, the road will make life easier for the residents of Thasa, who have been eagerly awaiting this development. A first-of-its-kind space challenge is underway with the top 10 teams from the Jigme Namgyel Engineering College and the College of Science and Technology building their own nanosatellites. They were chosen from among 24 teams from various colleges across the country. The Government Technology or GovTech agency launched this challenge as a part of the Bhutan Space Week in February this year. The common forum for the National Council elections in Zhemgang is seeing an impressive number of women attendees this time compared to the past elections. The election officials in the district attribute this positive trend to women becoming more aware of the significance of such forums. You surely would have heard about Kung Fu Panda or Jackie Chan. They are both synonymous with the martial art-Kung Fu. And for those genuinely interested to learn martial arts, a Kung Fu trainer in Thimphu is providing that opportunity and that too for free. Wangyal Rigzin, a passionate Kung Fu trainer with more than 20 years of training is providing free Kung Fu lessons at his studio in Thimphu with the aim to promote the sport in the country. The Royal Securities Exchange of Bhutan started the Alternative Investment Market or AIM in 2018 to help small businesses and start-ups with financing needs. However, no companies have received funding from the AIM as there were not many applicants due to lack of awareness of the investment market and the opportunities it offers. For those who tried, investors were not interested. Chewing betel nut has become part of the Bhutanese culture. But many don’t seem to be aware of the consequences. Doctors say it can lead to a pre-cancerous condition called Oral Submucous Fibrosis. However, if detected early, doctors say it is preventable. Doctors at the national referral hospital say about six to eight patients with oral pre-cancer conditions visit the hospital daily these days. Bhutanese applicants seeking medical checkups for Australian visas are facing significant delays, with wait times of up to three months or more to see a doctor. This is despite making the service available from the hospitals in Gelephu and Monggar earlier this year, to attend to the increasing number of applicants. Prior to that, the National Referral Hospital in Thimphu was the lone service provider. The Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, thanked Bhutan on April 5 for her strong support, service, and sacrifice of military and police personnel deployed around the world for United Nations peacekeeping. Thirty Bhutanese coaches will undergo a five-day intensive course starting April 10  at the Royal Thimphu College through the WorldCoaches Programme of the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB).

With sports gaining popularity in the country, the need for sports medicine specialists is also becoming increasingly important. As of today, the country has just a couple of specialized sports physicians and only one sports surgeon. Due to the shortage, many athletes are left with limited access to the care they need to maintain fitness and the longevity of their careers. Travelling should be as easy and enjoyable as possible for everyone on the road. But in Sarpang district’s Chhuzergang Gewog, the bad Gewog Centre road condition has created inconveniences for commuters and motorists. The 4.5-kilometre road has become worse calling for immediate attention and maintenance. The people of Tongmajangsa Gewog are still waiting for their Gewog Centre road to be blacktopped. The blacktopping work on the 14.8-kilometre stretch has missed three deadlines leaving the people frustrated. The GC road upgradation work that started in early 2021 was supposed to be completed by the end of the same year. The much-awaited installation of the Sephu solar power plant in Wangdue Phodrang is expected to start by the end of this month. The Department of Energy is expected to award a contract for the installation works after final endorsement from the funding agency, the Asian Development Bank. The Sephu Solar Power Plant will have the capacity to produce a maximum of 17.3 megawatts of electricity at its peak. You are at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital waiting in a long queue for a token to see a doctor. After waiting for a few hours, you are told that the tokens for the day are finished. How would you feel? Well, patients are left disappointed due to the limited number of tokens given each day. However, hospital officials are hoping that long queues will reduce after moving the hospital’s dental department to Taba. The Chhukha Hydropower Project will now generate additional revenue of Nu 590 M this year after the export tariff with India was revised. The revision to Nu 3, an increase by 45 chhetrum a unit, was announced yesterday through a joint press release issued following His Majesty’s visit to India recently. The tariff revision has been due since January 2021. Hotels and eateries in Tshongdue town were hoping to make the most of the five-day Paro tshechu. However, a disruption in water supply left them without water for more than a day severely hampering their businesses. Thimphu residents often called for timely waste and more frequent waste collection. In the peri-urban areas, there were no waste collection services leading to littering and overflowing. The government’s decision to waive the sustainable development fee (SDF) for casual visitors in the border towns has brought much-awaited relief to the hoteliers in Gelephu.

His Majesty The King is in Delhi on a 3-day official visit to India on the invitation of India’s President. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, received His Majesty at the Prime Minister’s official residence today. His Majesty held a meeting with the Prime Minister, following which the Prime Minister hosted a lunch for His Majesty and the Bhutanese delegation. The President, Droupadi Murmu, received His Majesty The King at the Rashtrapati Bhavan later in the evening. India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval called on His Majesty this morning, and the Minister of External Affairs, Dr. S Jaishankar called on His Majesty yesterday. His Majesty visited Rajghat to offer respects at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi. His Majesty laid a wreath and offered prayers at the memorial. His Majesty also visited the Royal Bhutan Embassy and met with Bhutanese working in Delhi. His Majesty The King arrived in New Delhi yesterday, accompanied by the Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Dr Tandi Dorji. India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar, received His Majesty at the airport. Discussions encompassing a wide range of interests between Bhutan and India were held at the highest levels during the visit, allowing for greater cooperation and partnership in diverse areas. The exceptional friendship that Bhutan and India share has been strengthened over decades of close connections between the leaders as well as peoples of the two countries. His Majesty’s visit to India continues the longstanding tradition of mutual visits, which have greatly contributed to ever stronger relations between Bhutan and India. Much has been discussed about the new government policy of levying 200 US dollars on tourists as sustainable development fees. But for many tourists attending the ongoing Paro Tshechu, they say the SDF tariff is worth it. Over 100 tourists are seen witnessing the sacred mask dances and traditional dances along with hundreds of locals daily at the Paro Tshechu. Samtse is one of the most mined districts in the country with multiple mines and quarries operational in various gewogs. With the increasing number of private businesses showing a desire to engage in mining and quarrying activities, local leaders in Samtse are skeptical about approving upcoming projects. As of today, Samtse has about 19 operational mines and quarries. Until a few years ago, the villagers of Dorjitse and Wungchhilu in Sarpang’s Tareythang Gewog dwelled in thick jungle settlements amongst wild animals. In 2021, on the command of His Majesty The King, the two villages with 25 households were relocated near the Tareythang Gewog Office. Delighted, people have now made the new land their home. Not a piece of good news for cat lovers. The country has confirmed the outbreak of feline panleukopenia, a potentially fatal disease among cats. However, the disease will not spread to humans or other species. The first case of the disease was diagnosed at the National Veterinary Hospital (NVH) in Thimphu in February. The veterinary hospital alone reported 27 cases of cats infected with the virus in March of this year. The disease is suspected to have become prominent across the country. Although there are no actual records. The District Education Sector of Punakha is waiting for approval from the Royal Civil Service commission to recruit Early Childhood Care and Development facilitators. Ten new ECCD centers are waiting for facilitators. But for the new center at Dochhukha-Dzomlingthang-Ritsa Chiwog in Guma Gewog, a Non-Formal Education instructor has volunteered to work as the facilitator until the recruitment takes place. Taking forward the development partnership, India has agreed to support the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan. This is according to a joint statement on the three-day official visit of His Majesty The King to India. The visit of His Majesty The King reinforced the longstanding tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries. His Majesty also met with Indian business leaders and explored new avenues for expanding economic and commercial ties between the two countries. Breaking, the official name for competitive breakdancing, will become an Olympic sport for the first time at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It’s a form of street dance that incorporates intricate body movements, coordination, style, and aesthetics. Despite a huge interest among the Bhutanese break-dancers are unlikely to compete due to the lack of a proper association. For Bhutanese athletes to participate in the Olympics, it is mandatory to have an association affiliated with the Bhutan Olympic Committee. Women's Olympic Qualifier Round 1 | FULL-TIME SCORE | Bhutan 0 - 9 Uzbekistan.

Common forums are usually an opportunity for the candidates to visit every gewog in their districts, meeting the people in person and announcing their pledges. At Lunana Gewog in Gasa, due to bad weather, the district’s National Council candidates took this opportunity, virtually. The election officials and candidates could not visit the gewog because of heavy snow. The only means of transportation is using the helicopter service but due to its unavailability and bad weather, officials couldn’t make use of it. Fuel prices dropped significantly across the country since Saturday. The price of petrol dropped by about Nu 12 and diesel by about Nu 13. At the Lungtenzampa fuel depot in Thimphu, petrol now costs Nu 69.39 a liter and Nu 70.97 for a liter of diesel. An official from the Trade Department attributed the drop to the fall in price at the source in India. The decline in investments, national elections this year, and the transition into a new five-year plan mean Bhutan’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate will slow down this year and next year. According to the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) latest Asian Development Outlook report, released today, the country’s GDP will slow down to 4.6 per cent this year and further drop to 4.2 per cent next year. The Supreme Court reversed the High Court’s judgment regarding the termination of the State Trading Corporation of Bhutan or STCBL’s former Chief Executive Officer, Kuenga Namgay. According to the Supreme Court, he had not only admitted to sexually harassing his female employees but also accepted the board’s decision and resigned from the company with benefits. The High Court last year ordered STCBL to compensate Kuenga Namgay as the Human Resource Committee’s decision to terminate him was against the Civil and Criminal Procedure Code. The Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority (BCTA) suspended issuing hard-copy of driver’s licenses in Thimphu and Phuntsholing for the last three months. This according to the authority is due to budget constraints. However, the office says printing resumed recently after the government provided an additional budget of Nu 7.5 M. However, there were no issues in other districts. The Supreme Court reversed the High Court’s judgment regarding the sexual harassment case involving ten staff of the Tagtse College of Language and Culture Studies. According to the Supreme Court’s judgment passed last week, reinstating the lecturers would set a bad precedent since their conduct had violated the Teacher’s Code of Conduct. The High Court in August last year ordered the reinstatement of seven lecturers and left the college to decide the reinstatement of the three convicted lecturers. Taking forward unique relationships of friendship & cooperation. PM Narendra Modi received His Majesty the King of Bhutan ahead of their talks. An opportunity to take stock of progress in bilateral ties. His Majesty the King paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Proposals to build three suspension bridges in Sarpang dzongkhag did not get the required support from the Dzongkhag Tshogdu (DT) members during the recent session. Proposals to build three suspension bridges in Sarpang dzongkhag did not get the required support from the Dzongkhag Tshogdu (DT) members during the recent session.

64 households of upper Gozhi in Dagana have been requesting the Dagana District Administration to reopen the entrance to the District hospital in Dagapela. The district administration closed the footpath in 2020 to tighten the hospital’s security amid the pandemic. The issue was discussed during the recent Dagana Dzongkhag Tshogdu. To uplift the rural livelihood and attract visitors to Pedling lake, the local leaders of Dechhenling Gewog in PemaGatshel plan to start a homestay business. The Gewog administration has already created awareness among the villagers about the homestay guidelines. However, Gewog has yet to receive the number of interested applicants. After a few years, the villagers especially the lay monk of Rubeisa Gewog in Wangdue Phodrang will not have to perform the mask dances at Nyizergang Dromchhoe. This is because the monks of Nyizergang Goenzin Dratshang will take over the responsibilities. That came as good news for the villagers as the number of dancers kept on decreasing over the years. Public awareness on autism is still in its infancy stage in the country. This often leads to stigma and discrimination against people with autism and their families. To raise awareness, the Ability Bhutan Society has been observing World Autism Awareness day annually. This year as well, the Non-Government Organization in collaboration with Project DANTAK marked the day with autistic children and their families in the capital today. It is also to promote acceptance and inclusion of individuals with autism. In the last few years, travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic fueled the growth of domestic tourism and local pilgrimage in the country. Sacred sites in remote parts of the country became dream destinations for many Bhutanese. One such site is Rangtse Ney in Haa. The increasing number of devotees visiting the site has helped contribute to the growth of the local economy in Gakiling Gewog. Drawing inspiration from this trend, locals there are now developing basic infrastructure at another sacred site in the gewog which is believed to be Khandro Dorji Phagmoi Cave. Taraythang Primary School which was once on the verge of closing due to limited or no enrolment is now facing a shortage of teachers. The issue surfaced last year after the school started receiving more students with the coming up of the Gyalsung Academy Project and the relocation of Dorjitse and Woongchhiloo villages near the Taraythang Gewog office. A 53-year-old man from Dangreygang Chiwog of Semjong Gewog in Tsirang who suffered a severe head injury in a fight died this morning at the Gelephu hospital. The Damphu hospital in Tsirang referred the deceased to Gelephu hospital on Saturday. According to a source, a fight broke out between the deceased and his 37-year-old nephew at around 11 PM on Friday after they had some drinks at home.According to a source, the deceased’s wife informed about the incident to the Police in the morning when she found the deceased partially unconscious. Meanwhile, the nephew is currently being detained by the Tsirang Police. Since the lifting of the COVID-19 restrictions in September last year, businesses have gradually picked up across the country. Similarly, a farmer’s broom-making group at Dechhenling Gewog in PemaGatshel resumed their business after three years. The group is hoping to make a good income. Increasing spending on transport, health, and education continues to hurt the average Bhutanese pockets. The latest figures released by the National Statistics Bureau (NSB) show prices in these three key sectors saw an increase of 10.50 per cent, 10.43 per cent, and 5.67 per cent respectively.

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The five-day annual Paro Tshechu begins today. Hundreds of devotees gathered to witness the sacred mask dances performed by monks and local mask dancers. The Tshechu will be performed at the Tshechu Thang, outside the dzong from tomorrow. A Bhutanese man in his thirties died on the spot in a vehicle accident this morning at Tamulpur in Assam state of India. According to sources, the incident happened when the truck he was driving collided with an Indian truck.The deceased was travelling towards Gomtu carrying coal. Tamulpur is about 38 kilometres from Samdrup Jongkhar. With the summer season approaching, the price of sand is again expected to escalate by almost double compared to the winter season in the black market. A few construction owners in Thimphu said they land up buying sand from the black market as they have to wait for days and months to get sand from Natural Resources Development Corporation. The construction owners are requesting the relevant authorities to regulate the price. A group of unemployed youth in Zhemgang set out on a journey to self-employment a decade ago. They started off by running the first-ever community-based river rafting enterprise in Panbang. It was not all a smooth sail. But things eventually worked out in their favour. However, just when they thought their business was starting to grow, the pandemic hit the country and reversed the little progress they made. But all is not lost. The River Guides of Panbang have bigger hopes. They plan to bring additional tourism products in Panbang to attract more visitors and do their bit in promoting the area as a hub for ecotourism. The Memorial Chorten in Thimphu is illuminated in neon light today evening in celebration of World Autism Awareness Day. World Autism Awareness Day 2023 theme is "𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠" a call to bring up awareness about autism, thus accepting and supporting people with autism in the society and workplace.Tackling stigma related to autism remains one of the major challenges in Bhutan. If Bhutan can export its surplus electricity to Bangladesh, especially in summer, it will be a boon for both countries. There is an acute shortage of power in Bangladesh, which is witnessing a booming economy briefly derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and now with an acute shortage of power. The Government of India released an amount of Nu.4110 million for key development projects being implemented across the country. These bilateral friendship projects are being executed in sectors such as physical infrastructure, education, culture, skill development, export promotion and trade facilitation. According to a press release from the Embassy of India in Thimphu for the 12th plan period, Government of India has committed an amount of Nu.50 billion, which is being utilised for the implementation of 82 project tied assistance projects, 524 high impact community development projects, program grant support and development of trade infrastructure and trade governance mechanisms under trade support facility. For Namgay Wangchuk, 57, from Punakha Dzongkhag, who is one of the stroke survivors, receiving physiotherapeutic apparatus and equipment through the Japan Alumni Association of Bhutan (JAAB) Mini Grant is a huge relief. He doesn’t have to visit to Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) for his routine physiotherapy.The Bhutan Stroke Foundation (BSF), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and JAAB hold a handing over ceremony of physiotherapeutic equipment and machines on 28 March in supporting for establishment of therapeutic centre for stroke survivors. Andrew Sutton, Honorary Consul of United Kingdom called on PM Dr Lotay Tshering today. The PM thanked him for the goodwill & for representing Bhutan in the UK. They updated on the activities so far and discussed investment areas as well as further cooperation hereafter.

In Pema Gatshel’s Dechhenling Gewog, farmers are switching to growing cassava as a cash crop. Mongar village in Goishing-Ridzommo Chiwog is the second village after Chhoekhorling to start mass cassava cultivation. Villagers have taken up the cultivation after the National Piggery and Research Centre in Gelephu agreed to buy their produce. Tshechus and festivals across the country were performed as closed-door events for the last few years due to the pandemic. But with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions since last year, Tshechus in some places started attracting more visitors. In Gomphu Kora in Trashi Yangtse, more than 600 people from Tawang in India came to witness the Tshechu. Non-star-rated hotels like Blue Poppy I and II could cater to tourists in a few months. The Prime Minister said this during a meeting with the representative of the private sector at the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday. But the Prime Minister asked the tour operators to inform the tourists about the different types of hotels and to let the tourists decide where they want to stay. The ongoing National Council Public Debate is keeping the viewers in some parts of Zhemgang glued to their television sets. A man in his early 50s at Dhakpai village in Nangkor Gewog never misses a single episode of the live public debate even if the candidates do not represent Zhemgang. It is the new format of the public debate that drew his interest to keep watching the public debate every evening without fail. Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport asked Drukair Helicopter Services to “ground” the pilot involved in the helicopter crash killing a mother and her infant at Wachey, Lunana in Gasa on March 3. Four students of Khotokha Primary School were on the stage presenting their innovative model. Made using everyday items, the functions of the device, Eco-Dust Collector, resembled a vacuum cleaner. Cavity, also known as tooth decay, is a major oral health issue in the country. Left unaddressed, this health and hygiene condition could develop into cancer in the long run. Despite implementing various strategies and interventions, human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) have become more frequent, severe, and widespread in Zhemgang in recent years. Barbara Gerke from Germany is the first guest to visit Jigmechhu after the campsite opened to international tourists earlier this month. She shares her experience with Kuensel’s Choki Wangmo.