His Majesty The King graced the closing ceremony of Camp Raven, and granted an Audience to the 611 student participants on 30th December 2014.

His Majesty shared several stories of people whom His Majesty has met across the country, to illustrate that while studies and school are important, excellence and success must be a lifelong pursuit.
Camp Raven began this year on the 18th of December, and concluded today. The 611 participants attended talks with resource persons and volunteers from diverse fields, and learnt art, crafts, dance, photography, martial arts and film. They were also engaged in various sports.

Volunteers from Thailand and France, as well as from Bhutan, participated as resource persons and teachers.

Camp Raven was initiated by His Majesty The King in 2012, to give children of armed force personnel in Thimphu an opportunity to spend their winter vacation productively. The Camp is held at RBA, RBP and RBG grounds, and coordinated by officers of the respective locations.

Besides Camp Raven, periodic camps are held for scouts and other children across the country, upon the Command of His Majesty The King, such as the Winter Youth Engagement Programme for girls, held in Gyalpoizhing, and Scout Leadership Training Programmes held at Tencholing.

Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay was called on by Mr. Kaushik Basu, Chief Economist at the World Bank at the Gyalyong Tshogkhang this afternoon.
Extending a warm welcome to Mr. Basu and his delegation, Lyonchhen thanked him for visiting Bhutan and said that he was delighted to receive them today.

Speaking on the economy, Mr. Basu said that Bhutan’s moderate pace and ‘measured opening’ to economic development is, in his opinion, a remarkable feat that Bhutan could be model and a bit of a lesson for the rest of the world.
Lyonchhen said that despite being small and pristine, achieving economic self-reliance was the country’s foremost precedence.

Lyonchhen informed that Bhutan’s main sectors of growth such as hydropower, agriculture, tourism, education, CSIs and mining, needed a much more comprehensive approach for advanced augmentation so that they could contribute considerably to the gross domestic product.

Lyonchhen and Mr. Basu also discussed about investing in information technology and possibilities of developing data centers in the country. On education, Mr. Basu suggested that Bhutan would benefit a lot if it were to invest in establishing international quality schools that would focus on teaching good environmental manners to the students.

Lyonchhen conveyed that working together in close collaboration would go a long way in manifesting more successes in Bhutan’s future.

After days of suspense the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) on Monday announced that, for the moment, it cannot accept the surrender of the Cabinet Secretary, Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of Ministry of Economic Affairs.

It has, in short, advised the cabinet to pursue the matter in accordance with the Civil Service Act of Bhutan 2010 and the Bhutan Civil Service Rules and Regulations (BCSR) 2012 and to submit it along with details and evidences of the charges to the Commission.

The three Secretaries will remain on authorized absence with benefits until the matter is resolved according to the RCSC.

The RCSC in its release said that as per decision of the 18th Commission Meeting the RCSC is not in a position to accept the “surrendering” of the three Government Secretaries in view of various legal provisions of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Civil Service Act of Bhutan 2010 and the Bhutan Civil Service Rules and Regulations 2012.
The release says that Section 4 of the Civil Service Act of Bhutan 2010 (CSAB 2010) states that all civil servants shall function in accordance with CSAB 2010 and the Bhutan Civil Service Rules framed by the Royal Civil Service Commission.

It also says that Section 6 states that the purpose of CSAB 2010 shall be to establish an independent and apolitical Royal Civil Service Commission responsible to manage the Civil Service of the Kingdom of Bhutan and as per Section 6 (d) to establish a unified, apolitical and merit based Civil Service that is professional, efficient, effective, transparent and accountable in the service of the Tsa-Wa-Sum.

Section 45 (k) of the CSAB 2010 states that a civil servant shall not be removed, demoted, terminated or administratively penalized without due administrative process.

Quoting the BCSR it says that as per section 19.2.6 of the BCSR 2012 the powers to impose any major penalty on EX1-EX3/ES1-ES3 civil servant shall be exercised by the RCSC.

Further, as per Section 19.2.7 of the BCSR 2012, the powers to impose both minor and major penalty on a Secretary to the Government, other officers of Secretary’s rank, and Head of the Autonomous Agency shall be exercised by the RCSC.

It says as defined in Civil Service Act of Bhutan 2010, Secretary to the Government refers to the head of the Cabinet Secretariat or the head of a Secretariat of a Ministry appointed by the Druk Gyalpo as per the provisions of the Constitution.
Referring to the Constitution the release says that the above provisions uphold Article 26, Section 1 of the Constitution which states “There shall be a Royal Civil Service Commission, which shall promote and ensure an independent and apolitical civil service that will discharge its public duties in an efficient, transparent and accountable manner” and Article 26, Section 10 of the Constitution which states “The Royal Civil Service Commission shall function in accordance with the Civil Service Act of Bhutan”.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister’s office in a state said, “The government welcomes RCSC’s decision to keep the three secretaries on ‘authorized absence’ while it investigates the case.

It said that the government is committed to cooperating with RCSC and will provide all required ‘details and evidence of charges to the Commission to ensure that RCSC is able to discharge its responsibilities and that the three secretaries on ‘authorized absence’ receive a quick and just hearing, in accordance with the provisions of the laws.

Meanwhile it has been learnt that the Prime Minister signed an executive order a few days ago formally dissolving the Committee of Secretaries (CoS).

The government, in a press release issued on 11th December 2014 had announced its decision to hand over the three Government Secretaries to the RCSC, and also discontinue the Committee of Secretaries.
The main offence of the three Secretaries was to send a strongly worded letter from the Foreign Ministry to the Government of India on the behalf of the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) without either consulting the Cabinet, the Foreign Minister or even the Prime Minister.

The letter was sent and signed by the Foreign Secretary on the instruction of the CoS after the MoEA Secretary had brought up the issue in the CoS meetings.

The matter of the letter basically focused on corruption allegations made by an Indian journal “ENERTIA” against a senior civil servant. The letter without any clearance from the RGoB made a series of claims on the impact of the articles by “ENERTIA” on the Indo-Bhutan friendship and also asked for strong action.

A group of children from schools in Thimphu recited lolay to mark Nyilo yesterday (Winter Solistice in the lunar calendar) before His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen at the Lingkana Palace.
Nyilo (marking the return of longer days according to the lunar calendar) is traditionally observed as the new year, coinciding with the annual harvest in parts of Western Bhutan. Lolay is the recitation of a traditional song with wishes for a happy and bountiful new year. Children are believed to be harbingers of good fortune, and their recitation of lolay consists of wishes specific to every component of a traditional Bhutanese home from the ground to the tip.

The children go from house to house, singing wishes to usher in a prosperous new year, and are granted gifts.

For the past few years, children in Thimphu have celebrated Nyilo every year with a lolay recitation before Their Majesties at the Lingkana Palace.

The Department of Information and Media commissioned report on overcoming the financial crisis in the private media has hit the figurative bull’s eye, in identifying the main problem plaguing private newspapers, and it has also found the way out.

The report has been drafted by a well regarded and neutral consultancy group, after much study and analysis, and also after talking to various stakeholders.
It has shown that the private media crisis is mainly due to a drastic reduction in advertisement expenditure by the government over the years, and not due to the popular misconception that the crisis was caused only due to the increase in number of papers.

The other major problem is that the advertisement available was disproportionately given to state-owned media houses.

What is revealing in the report is that if the current trend in advertisement allocation and distribution continues, Bhutan may very well have no private media.

Therefore, the report’s main recommendation, that advertisement be divided and distributed by a central body between state-owned media and private media, is a very good idea. It is also something that private newspapers have been asking for all the while.
The report is correct in saying that all private papers will not survive and only the good ones will make it through, which is an acceptable scenario to private newspapers.

Some people have said that ‘market forces’ should decide the fate of the media, especially the private newspapers.
First of all, the current scenario goes against every principle of ‘market forces,’ ‘free market’ or fair competition. On one side, there are the government supported and funded behemoths that enjoy near monopolies, and on the other hand, there are the struggling private newspapers, unable to compete against the array of government provided and owned resources. Also the ‘market’ will itself eventually suffer if there is a government-owned media monopoly and a lack of competition.

Secondly, the media- given its very nature and responsibility cannot be treated like any ordinary profit and loss business, especially in a young democracy. The media has huge roles and responsibilities in a democracy, and it is too important to be simply left to the ‘market forces.’

There may be some who question the very need for the private media, given Bhutan’s limited resources, small market and other pressing priorities.
Then the next logical question should be on the very need for a democracy, Parliament, elections, Constitutional Bodies, etc., given the limited resources.

A free press is the lifeblood of any healthy democracy. The closure or absence of private media will eventually lead to the severe limitations on free press, and do irreparable damage to a democracy.
State-owned media houses are editorially more active today, only due to the competition provided by the private media. Private media outlets also provide an indirect check on any government misusing state media by providing alternative sources of information and views. Take away the competition and alternative source of news and Bhutan will have two very large and powerful media organizations owned by the government.
With governments changing every five years and political parties and political competition getting more active and ambitious, it will leave the state media organizations vulnerable to political maneuvers.

The media plays an exceedingly important role in a democracy – to the extent that the health and quality of most democracies are known from the state of the media.
The private media is not asking for handouts or asking for all outlets to survive, but only for the fair and balanced policies that provide a level playing field, where the best will survive. Apart from the election promises, any elected government’s most sacred mandate is to make democracy a success in Bhutan- and for that to happen -the media is crucial.

The current system of distribution of advertisements is highly prone to corruption, nepotism and even abuse by political forces. The report’s recommendation for a transparent Advertising Placement Board that transparently allocates advertisements is a good idea. It would be this body that divides the advertisement between the state-owned media and the private media in a fair manner.
It is now up to the government of the day to ensure that it fulfills its election promise of strengthening the media and also strengthening democracy.

I tell you, in my opinion, the cornerstone of democracy is free press.
Milos Forman

The world would envy the nation that commits to observe a whole year as National Reading Year, and for it to be graced by His Majesty himself is truly something. About ten thousand students and teachers who gathered at the grand opening received book gifts from His Majesty and not to mention the book was about life of Buddha. This gives us all the inspiration and reason to read.
I personally believe that at the end there are only two types of people; the ones who read and others who don’t- all the other differences are therefore connected to this division. You can spot the difference in first few minutes of meeting, not just in the beauty of their language but also in the greatness of their soul. I realised it late in life because of where I came from and where I grew up. I wished I had so much inspiration and opportunity when I was in primary school. Today when I feel something missing in my being I know it’s a certain book I missed in life.
However, this need not happen to the children who are growing up in my village, and therefore I approached READ Bhutan for the construction of a library for children in my village, which is what READ Bhutan does across the country, especially in the rural parts. The amazing Nonprofit Organization made a few visits to my village and upon understanding the gravity of my request they instantly accepted to help. They have so far built six centres across Bhutan.
They needed the assurance from the people of the village, and they also must find the way to bring people together in building the structure, and also in running it sustainably after the completion, which they call a sustaining enterprise. The agreement was signed and construction committee was formed. In April 2015 the library will be ready and over 60 children in the village will be using the facility. The library will have a computer lab, play room with audio visual devices, women section with training equipments, and conference room on top of thousands of books.
As the nation prepares for the National Reading Year I am smiling at the perfect coincidence- launching of village library in the same year by the organisation that advocates reading in Bhutan.
It gives me so much satisfaction and pride in being the bridge between READ Bhutan and my village, and the village elders blessed me with their kindest words when I went home with READ Bhutan team to inspect on the work progress. If you feel like doing the same in your village, you know how to go about it!M

The writer is a school teacher at Bajothang Higher Secondary school.

By Passang Tshering

Prime Minister of Bhutan shares his concerns over the country’s economy during, the “Public-Private Dialogue,” the first of its kind on December 29.
Lyonchhen pointed out that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Bhutan stands at Nu104 bn which was at the 166th position out of 190 countries.
“Our GDP is very small and our GDP is not very strong,” Lyonchhen said. “The economy is small and weak and so all the people must be worried,” Lyonchhen added.
Highlighting on the budget for the 11 FYP, Lyonchhen said of the total budget outlay of Nu 213bn, Nu 92bn has been allocated for the capital sector of which Nu 83bn is for the construction sector.
Lyonchhen said from this, most of it would go into the manufacturing sector and so he urged the private sector to take it as an opportunity to improve the country’s economy.
Lyonchhen said it has been decades, where people have been reiterating that the private sector is the engine of growth but until now there has been no clear idea on how much the private sector contributed to the country’s GDP. Lyonchhen said National Statistical Bureau has been asked to come up with the figures.
In the hydropower projects front, Lyonchhen assured that the private sector can take part in the construction of new hydro-projects in the country but they would have to build capacity to take part.
“If you are interested in improving your competitiveness, productivity and technology by injecting capital and by improving the quality of human resources, the government will help,” Lyonchhen added.
Lyonchhen also talked about the Business Opportunity and Innovation Centre (BOIC). Lyonchhen said of the 2,000 applicants, 514 projects has been accepted, of which 35 were for the manufacturing and 479 were for non-formal rural projects.
Lyonchhen added, of the Nu.1.9 bn capital allotted to BOIC, in four months time, it has released Nu 427 mn. Lyonchhen also shared that in February 2015, BOIC branch offices would be set up at Trashigang.
The day also saw the launch of Better Business Council, which would be headed by the Lyonchhen himself. Lyonchhen also said that he will meet the business community this every Monday from 9 am to 11 am. Lyonchhen said the meetings will only focus on the administration and corruption lapses that have altered the work of the business and it would not entertain Kidu.
In the discussion with the private sector, business people said the government should look into using the electricity domestically for value addition, frame an industrial policy and look into the carrying capacity of the transport vehicles, fronting issues and labor issues.

Thukten Zangpo/Thimphu

Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay attended the 17th Annual Education Conference as the Chief Guest and launched the Bhutan Education Blueprint 2014-2024 themed ‘Rethinking Education’ at the Ugyen Academy in Punakha on 27th December 2014.
The blueprint is dedicated to the 60th Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. The document has been prepared based on a comprehensive review of the current education system. The blueprint developed by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with several organisations and agencies presents a time bound strategic roadmap for a systematic transformation of the school education system in Bhutan.
At the event, Lyonchhen spoke on the many successes of the education system in Bhutan including free schooling for the Bhutanese children and attributed these accomplishments to the farsighted wisdom of our noble monarchs. Albeit numerous challenges the country faces today, Lyonchhen said that paying due recognition and addressing national concerns must be the sole priority of all teachers, students and citizens alike.
Speaking on education, Lyonchhen emphasized that education was very crucial for Bhutan. Quoting His Majesty the King, Lyonchhen said the children were the future of our country and nurturing their individual potential and making them realize their potential is a common goal.
Lyonchhen stated that the teachers must help the students find and define their very own purpose of learning and educating themselves. Improving the quality of content in subjects taught in schools should be the main focus and discipline will have to be a priority as well. Lyonchhen further said that teachers must work together and be committed, motivated and draw inspiration from our monarchs.
“It is difficult but we don’t have a choice. We should be concerned and take this very seriously. We have to do it. All of us must work together to ensure that the quality of education improves,” Lyonchhen said.
Lyonchhen highlighted that students must work hard by ‘learning to learn’ and teachers must provide them tools to study beyond what is taught in their classrooms and allow them to research and apply their skills.
Lyonchhen also spoke on the importance of a balanced diet and providing nutritious meals to the school children.

Bhutan’s Annual Journalism awards are making a comeback after a gap of nearly five years with the Journalists Association of Bhutan (JAB) conducting it this time.
The award is to be held on 21st February 2015 coinciding with His Majesty the King’s birthday.
The award first started in 2009 and continued on till 2010 after which it was discontinued as no organization, governmental or non-governmental, took the initiative. The awards in 2009 and 2010 were both organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications.
There are five categories of award and these are best investigative story of the year, best business story of the year, best feature story of the year, best environment story of the year and best photojournalism award of the year.
The award shall be given to only journalists (reporters, editors, producers and broadcasters) working in the Bhutanese media and it encompasses both print and broadcast media in the country.
There are also various criteria for the award. Journalists nominated for the awards shall be registered members of JAB. An individual journalist shall be nominated for not more than one award. Stories nominated for the award should be certified by the parent news organization and have created wide impact.
The award will be in the form of a trophy, a citation, and cash and winners are expected to receive attractive cash prizes.
The Journalists Association of Bhutan will form a committee to administer the award and the committee will receive, review, and verify the entries, forward the entries to the jury, compile ratings and declare the shortlist in the JAB’s website and Facebook and declare the results during the award ceremony.
The jury shall consist of three eminent persons who have proven integrity and impeccable media or media-related background. A list of potential jury members will be submitted by the JAB to the Board who will finalize the list.
According to the terms of reference the jury must understand that the award is a symbol of recognition for excellence in journalism and the jury will select the winners in different categories based absolutely on merit.
If nominations in a certain category are not worthy of the award, the jury shall withhold the award in that category for the year.
The Award Administration shall be responsible for the organizational logistics on the award day. The venue shall be decided by the Award Administration and announced through the media.

The Government Performance Management Division (GPMD), Office of the Prime Minister will conduct a mid-year review of the Annual Performance Agreement (APA), as directed by the Prime Minister.
The review of the six autonomous agencies will start on January 27. Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay had signed the APA with the heads of six autonomous agencies which are the Dzongkha Development Commission, Gross National Happiness Commission, National Statistics Bureau, Tourism Council of Bhutan, National Environment Commission and Business Opportunity & Information Centre.

BOIC
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) will review the four main objectives of the BOIC.
BOIC was established to generate employment, substitute imports and to promote exports by promoting cottage and small manufacturing industries through timely integrated business support, and formulate and complete fund manual for both policies and procedure.
It has to implement human resource management, payroll, accounting software, launch the BOIC website and all workflows to be tracked on web based system. BOIC has to have a core team recruited, enforce service rules, all furniture and counters to be completed, institute performance management system and performance based incentive system (all employees to sign performance compact). It must formulate and implement organizational IT policy, and all the staff have to adhere to the media policy. BOIC must put in place the information data base for cottage and small business and create an inventory of resources.
It has to establish a network with all relevant agencies, prepare recommendations on integrated approach to economic development policy (EDP) submitted to government, to complete training on fund appraisal system, information dissemination, business development for the staff and to formulate and adopt a corporate strategic plan.
BOIC has to provide an access to revolving fund for viable cottage and small manufacturing projects and non-formal rural activities, create one-stop shop and improve efficiency of business processes and coordinate and improve entrepreneurship development program.
It has to facilitate employment generation in cottage and small manufacturing industries and non-formal commercial sector. BOIC is to create and approve commercially viable projects, and create and approve non-formal commercial projects.
To enhance business support in terms of information, business development, and entrepreneurship development, BOIC has to establish a fully functional one-stop center and website, identify and offer business opportunities to the public, and conduct workshops on basic business skills. BOiC must minimize Non Performing Loans (NPL), and establish a strong pre-sanction appraisal system and to establish a strong monitoring system.

NEC
Firstly NEC has to create an enabling legal environment to achieve a carbon neutral and climate resilient development.
There should be development of a national adaptation plans (NAP).
NEC has to develop the nationality appropriate mitigation actions (NAMA) for waste and transport, development of low emission strategy for industries, revision of EA Act 2000, and development of water regulation.
Secondly, to strengthen conservation, management and coordination of ecosystem and water resources, NEC should initiate preparation of the national integrated water resource management plan(NIWRM), whereby, the water resource inventory has to be completed in all 20 dzongkhags.
NEC has to strengthen water quality monitoring stations, develop drinking water quality standard in collaboration with Ministry of Health, and conduct preliminary assessment for environment flow guideline.
Thirdly, for strengthening environmental monitoring, information management and communication, NEC has to carry out sensitization and awareness creation of environmental legislations, conduct compliance monitoring of all active projects that are more than a year old, conduct annual compliance monitoring conference with the promoters of mines and industries, and improve air quality monitoring. In addition, NEC has to study the impact of air pollution on the health of the people in Thimphu, develop dzongkhag state of environment (DSOE) framework, and develop green house gas (GHG) inventory data management system.

GNHC
GNHC has to put in place, a long term sustainable socio-economic development and strategies, develop a long term perspective plan, make a reliable, robust in house macro-economic framework for policy makers, facilitate the establishment of stabilization fund, identify and develop a blue print for intervention in strategic sectors and monitor its implementation, and publish an economic advisory series.
GNHC is to spearhead the five-year and annual planning, and guide public policy formulation. GNHC is to review, update and prioritize sector for five-year plans.
It must ensure that GNH principles are mainstreamed into policies and mainstream gender, environment, climate disaster poverty. GNHC has to use the environmental overview tool and mainstream process steps into policies and implement targeted poverty reduction program.
To mobilize adequate resources on a timely basis and ensure equitable and efficient allocation, GNHC needs to prepare and update information on resource position, coordinate and mobilize external resources for financing programs and allocate resources efficiently to sectors and LGs.
To monitor, facilitate, and coordinate implementation of policies and programs GNHC has to monitor implementation of signed performance agreements and annual work plans and coordinate and debottleneck implementation issues and monitor policy implementation.

NSB
There are eight NSB objectives that would be reviewed. The first objective is to develop a national statistics development strategy (NSDS), and secondly, to draft a Statistics Bill of Bhutan (Statistical Legislation), and consult with stakeholders and general public and submit to the Cabinet.
NSB also needs to conduct socio-economic and thematic research on conduct child poverty study, conduct poverty assessment study, and conduct thematic analysis on youth, conduct the population housing census of Bhutan (PHCB). As well as collect and publish monthly, quarterly and annual official statistics reports (monthly consumer price index(CPI), quarterly producer price index, quarterly construction material index(CMI), quarterly socio-economic indicators( SEI), annual national accounts statistics (NAS), annual dzongkhag statistics (ADS), annual statistical yearbook and Bhutan at a glance (BAG).
NSB has to develop environmental statistics and accounting and develop IT framework and database for e-state, develop a roadmap for environmental accounting (EA) and a micro-data dissemination policy and establish geog level data centre in two pilot dzongkhags.

TCB
As per the agreement, the TCB has to fulfill seven objectives in the end of the agreement. The first is to promote Bhutan as a high-end destination and increase the visitor arrival and revenue generation.
TCB has to build brand Bhutan through effective channels, it has to tie up with international tour operators, introduce Bhutan to new international tour operators.
The other objectives are to conduct market research and explore new markets, promote sales by attending travel fairs and road shows and tourism seminars organized, initiate and host media familiarization tours, facilitate international tour operator familiarization tours, promotion through public relations offices, promotion through a dedicated key marketing manager for respective source market, and improve digital media marketing.
TCB has to improve the regional spread of tourism benefits, increase the percentage of visitors/ tourists visiting east, south and central circuits, develop new products, develop new public infrastructure, and increase employment.
To improve/upgrade tourism services, TCB has to classify tourist accommodations as per the classification system, and develop and implement sustainability standards. TCB also has to diversify, and develop new products as well as to improve tourism infrastructure, increase the number of Bhutanese employed and develop the human resources in the tourism sector.

DDC
The PM and Secretary, Dzongkha Development Commission (DDC) also signed an APA, effective from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015.
As per the agreement, the DDC has to improve the efficiency of Dzongkha and bilingual Dzongkha and English. It also must protect the local dialects and carry out a study on the dialects of the Bhutan.

Thukten Zangpo/Thimphu

The Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay said that as requested by the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) the government had prepared its evidences and was ready to drop then at RCSC.
The PM also expressed appreciation to the RCSC for accepting to keep the secretaries until the investigation on the issue was over.

He said that the government had earlier received the letter from the RCSC asking for the evidences.
It is expected that the government’s main evidence would include written correspondence with India, how it was done without seeking any government approval and other documents.

It is also expected that the government, as asked by the RCSC letter, will also point out the various violations of the RCSC Act and BCSR rules committed by the three secretaries.

The Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs Secretary and Foreign Secretary had been surrendered by the government to the RCSC in December 2014 mainly for not taking the government’s permission to write a strongly worded letter to the Indian government on corruption allegations in the BHEL and BVT case.
The letter had been written on behalf of the Royal Government of Bhutan without the RGoB’s clearance.

If anybody wanted to see one of the reasons for the state of our economy, the collective outrage of 417 B.Ed graduates at 182 job vacancies is a good pointer.

Anywhere else in the developing work, graduates of any college would be overjoyed at the 50 percent chance of finding an assured government job, but not here in Bhutan.

Also, in many other countries teachers would be dying to get into private schools which pay better, but in Bhutan the situation is literally reverse.
All of the above points to a culture of entitlement, and also deep flaws in our economic model that is not doing the country any good.

The civil service is already bloated with around 25,000 employees, not counting thousands of government corporate employees and others that can push the population of total government servants to around 40,000.

This is very high for any country and in fact too high for Bhutan, a least developed country with limited government resources, still dependant on foreign aid.

25,000 civil servants collectively form the biggest expenditure for the government, and the regular hiring of more civil servants combined with pay hikes is not helping. In short, the trend is increasingly heading towards a situation where the government spends more on the service delivery mechanism then the actual services.

With the civil service pay hike already causing a dent on the budget, thousands of corporate employees are also expecting a hike which will reduce the government dividends and tax revenue from these corporations.

Bhutan’s economic crisis is not just an import and export problem, but it is also about an entire economic model where the most productive and brightest people opt for the safety and frustration of government jobs over the risks and enterprise of the private sector.

The government, in itself, has also unwittingly encouraged this system or way of thinking over the years.

One example is hydro projects where the recent and even past pay hikes have also been calculated taking into account the revenue of current and future hydro projects. This laying of claim on national resources by an increasingly bloated civil service is neither fair nor is it healthy.

A lot of what ails Bhutan can all be brought down to this mentality of entitlement. Since the civil service is seen as the entitled class, the majority of bright young people want to join a system that is becoming an economic burden on the state. These same young people who look down upon even private sector jobs will not even think about doing blue collar jobs.

The hierarchical division of professions not necessarily based on value or contribution also takes place. So the best and brightest of one professional class can often get the same treatment and position of even the junior most bureaucrats, if they are lucky.

For example, apart from the pay and other issues one of the other main reasons that so many senior journalists left the profession is because they did not feel recognized and appreciated for their work.
The government’s own protocol list will make an interesting read on whose position is where in Bhutan. The private sector and professional classes, that are actually Bhutan’s future and supposed saviors are at the rank bottom in most cases.

The Prime Minister’s stand that government colleges do not equate to an automatic government job is a welcome statement. His offer that the government will create the right environment for the private sector to create jobs is appropriate for our times.

The population of Bhutan is around 700,000 of which the majority live in rural areas, and so an elite class of civil servants, that has already benefitted so much from government subsidies should stop promoting the entitlement culture that is not doing the country any good.

The Media Owners Association of Bhutan (MOAB) was formed on 6th January 2015 to fulfill the role of a much needed media association in Bhutan according to a release. The MOAB represents media houses – its members are owners, CEOs, MDs and management representatives of 13 media houses, including both print and radio.

The association has been created out of the recognition that the main problem facing all media houses is the issue of sustainability, and that the need of the hour is to address the issue.

MOAB’s objective is to look after the sustainability and economic issues concerning the private media and also media in general. Its objective is also to lobby for government policies and work with all stakeholders to ensure sustainability, viability, and a level playing field for the media as a whole.

MOAB recognizes that the Bhutanese media has an important and sacred responsibility in a young democracy, but to fulfill this role successfully, the media houses have to be sustainable.

Currently, the member media houses are Business Bhutan, Bhutan Today, Bhutan Times, The Bhutanese, Druk Melong, Druk Neytshul, Druk Yodzer, Gyalchi Sarshog, The Journalist, Bhutan Observer, Kuzoo FM, Radio Valley and Radio Yiga. The MOAB, where necessary, will also work with state owned media houses like Kuensel and BBS on issues affecting all Media Houses.

MOAB will not duplicate the specialized functions of the Journalists Association of Bhutan (JAB) which is dedicated to looking after the welfare of journalists.
The MOAB will be represented by a President, who has been elected for a three-year term. The President will represent, speak and lobby, on behalf of MOAB, with the government and various other stakeholders.

The first President of MOAB, elected unanimously is Tenzing Lamsang, Editor-in-Chief of The Bhutanese, and a part owner of the paper.

MOAB recognizes that if the economic decline of media houses is not reversed, it will affect both the quality and content of Media, and as a result, ultimately lead to a less vibrant media.

MOAB will also be registering as a Civil Society Organization. The association will meet at regular intervals to discuss important issues related to the media houses, and take necessary actions for the greater good of media houses and media in Bhutan.

Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay will be making an official visit to lndia from 10-18 January 2015 at the invitation of Prime Minister of lndia Narendra Modi. His itinerary includes visits to Ahemadabad, Gujarat from 11 to 13 January, New Delhi from 14 to 15 January, Varanasi andBodhgaya from 16-18 January 2015.

Lyonchhen will be accompanied by Aum Tashi Doma, Foreign Minister Rinzin Dorji,Economic Affairs Minister Norbu Wangchuk and other senior officials of the Government.

ln Ahemadabad, Lyonchhen will attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 on 11th January and visit a number of successful projects initiated by Prime Minister Modi in Gujarat such as the Kids City, Gujarat lnternational Finance Tec-City (GIFT), Solar Park, Kaushal Vardhan Kendra (Skill Development lnstitute), Sabarmati river front and Garima Park. Further, Lyonchhen will also visit the Buddhist sites in Vadnagar.

Vibrant Gujarat Summit is a biennial investors’summit held by the Government of Gujarat in Gujarat, lndia. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, intellectuals and policy and opinion makers from across the Globe. The summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in the State of Gujarat.
Lyonchhen will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad for wide-ranging discussions on bilateral relations as well as on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern. Lyonchhen will also meet with the Chief Minister of Gujarat ShrimatiAnandiben Patel.

Lyonchhen is also scheduled to meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Prime Minister of Macedonia Nikola Gruevski, Australian Minister for Trade & lnvestment Andrew Robb and
Danish Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation Mogens Jensen on the sidelines of the Summit.

Lyonchhen will be in New Delhi from 13-15 January 2015 during which he will call on the President of lndia at Rashtrapati Bhavan and meet with the Ministers of External Affairs, Home, Defence, Finance, Power, Minister of State for Commerce and other senior officials of the Government of lndia.
Lyonchhen will visit the holy Buddhist and Hindu sites in Varanasi and Bodhgaya from 16- 17 January 2015. ln Bodhgaya, Lyonchhen will be presented with a sapling of the Bodhi tree as a gift by the people of lndia to the people of Bhutan. This gift is highly symbolic as ithas deep religious significance for the Bhutanese people and is being received when the country is celebrating the 60th Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.
Lyonchhen is scheduled to return to Bhutan on 18th January 2015 afternoon.

A release issued by Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) said that the party has been patiently and closely following the recent case of surrendering of the three Secretaries to the RCSC by the Government.
It says that listening to views and concerns of the people from all walks of life; the party has come to believe that there is no trust between the Government and the Bureaucracy. It says this is dangerous and that DNT wants to caution both the Government and the Bureaucrats.

“We don’t want to say who is right or wrong between the Cabinet and Committee of Secretaries but there is a fundamental problem of trust. There is no trust between the two and they are the two central institutions in this country,” says the release.
It says that the Bureaucracy is the bedrock of society in delivering services to the people and Government of the day is elected by the people to serve them. The top leaders in both the Government and the Bureaucracy, therefore, must not forget, at all times, that they are there to serve the people first according to the party.

DNT said there have been limited or no consultations at all between the Government and RCSC on this matter. It says that had there been trust, there would have been proper consultations and a large part of the problem would have then been already solved at the outset.

But the government has taken a unilateral decision to hand over the three secretaries for alleged misuse of their powers, without proper investigation and acknowledgement of the due process.

It says this has inadvertently created a tangible gulf between the bureaucracy and the political government. The party said that it can set a dangerous precedent.

Against this backdrop, DNT Questioned how the government and bureaucracy are going to serve the people and take the country forward when there is no trust. DNT called upon the Government and the RCSC to promptly look into the issue and facilitate quick and effective justice.

The Bhutan Council for School Examinations and Assessment (BCSEA) board has decided to revoke its earlier decision of validating the English examination results based on the marks obtained in English Paper I.

It has instead decided that the BCSEA will evaluate the English II paper and award marks accordingly but will also impose severe penalties on those responsible for the paper leakage.

Meanwhile, the Board has directed the BCSEA to complete the investigation into the problem at the earliest, and also put into place the strictest of measures and mechanisms to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

In a release the BCSEA says that just like other options, though the recommended option too may not guarantee complete fairness and acceptability for all, the BCSEA Board felt it was comparatively a better option as it will at least ensure timely declaration and fairer exam results since the penalty will be meted out only to the individuals involved in the paper leakage.

This newspaper in its previous issue had written that the cabinet and the Prime Minister were in favor of the above option based on the meet the press with the cabinet.

The BCSEA’s original decision in 4th January 2015 of awarding the English I mark for English II faced massive public criticism especially from students and their parents. The cabinet then intervened and asked the BCSEA to reconsider.

In the last ‘meet the press’ the Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay has said there were three options before the BCSEA.

Lyonchhen said that one option was to use the English I marks for English II, the second was to redo the entire examinations, and the third option is to go ahead with the assessment and give marks to those students who had no access to the leaked questions.

While the PM seemingly presented all three options, he then methodically went about showing why the first two options were not desirable while indirectly endorsing the third option.

Meanwhile, the BCSEA Chairman who is the Education Minister Lyonpo Mingbo Dukpa sat a few seats away listening to the PM.
It is now clear that the cabinet’s ‘request’ was in effect to do away with an unpopular BCSEA decision and go instead with a more acceptable decision of going after the culprits and awarding everyone their original marks.

On the first option of giving English I marks for English II, Lyonchhen had said that even if the decision was technically sound it would forever create doubt in the minds of thousands of students that they could have done better, if they had got their original English II marks. He said that the decision had certain risks for affecting the lives of many children.

One the second option of redoing the exams the PM said that apart from the use of government resources it would be irresponsible for the government and BCSEA to ask students to travel back to their exam centers from all parts of the country.

The PM had pointed out that there is also a possibility that despite the best efforts of the government all students would not know about the re-examinations and so they could miss the crucial exams. He said it would be very difficult for students as they will have to go collect their text books and even if they have text books they may not have exercise books as they could have been thrown away to be recycled.

In what was an indirect support for the third option, the PM had said that first of all the whole paper was not leaked but it was only some questions leaked and secondly it was not widespread.

He said that if it was widespread then at least one parent, one student or one teacher would have informed. He said the possibility that the leaked questions had a huge impact on the results of the English II exam is very small.

However, he made it clear that regardless of the decision taken, the government was determined to find out each and every person involved in distribution of the questions and penalize them be they students, staff or teachers.

In response to a question at meet the press, the PM also gave a hint of the cabinet’s determination on the issue.’ The PM had said, “They have the liberty not to listen to our request and if they don’t listen then the cabinet has certain powers and we will be guided by that.”

The BCSEA in its release going into the background of the issue and decisions said that the Bhutan Higher Education Certificate (BHSEC-XII) 2014 Examination was conducted from November 29 to December 13, 2014.

Immediately after the completion of the last paper English II examination on 13th December 2014, rumors of the leaking of the English II question paper was reported to the BCSEA through the Supervising Examiner of the Drukgyel Higher Secondary School in Paro.

BCSEA immediately launched the investigation which confirmed that the English II Paper had indeed been leaked before the examination. The BCSEA then called for an Emergency Meeting of its Board on 4th January 2015. During the meeting, the Board looked at the four available options to urgently deal with the situation.

One was giving English Paper I mark for English II, second was identify the candidates who had access to leaked questions and take action as per BCSEA Exam Rules and Regulations, third option was conducting re-examination of English Paper II and fourth option was not to do anything.

After deliberating at length, the Board decided to base the validity of English exam results on Paper I marks as English I and II are complementary and has strong correlation, those good in Paper I are usually good in paper II and there would be no logistic or financial implications involved.

Accordingly, the BCSEA made a press release announcing the decision of the BCSEA Board as above to base the validity of English examination results on English Paper I marks. However, the BCSEA Board’s decision triggered strong reactions from some of the students and parents who said it would not be fair to base the English II exam results on the English Paper I marks.

Following this, the cabinet requested the BCSEA to reconsider its earlier decision and take some more time to study the situation carefully and resolve the problem with a more suitable option if available.
As requested by the cabinet, the BCSEA Board met for the 2nd time on 7th January 2015 and then came to the final decision.

With its two week time period given by the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) over, the cabinet recently forwarded the evidences and list of charges against the three secretaries to the RCSC.
According to a reliable source, the cabinet, in addition to its own homework, had the Office of the Attorney General go through and frame all the charges.

The three secretaries have been charged with insubordination, breach of trust and withholding information.

Various sections of the Civil Service Act, Bhutan Civil Service Rules (BCSR) and also the Constitution have been used and pointed out to charge the three secretaries.

The secretaries would also be charged with violating the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) as the ToR states that the CoS has to keep the Cabinet informed.

Despite repeated requests the government declined to share the detailed charge sheet, particular sections and evidences against secretaries.

However, the letter written to the Indian Ambassador who represents the Government of India in Bhutan is expected to be the main evidence.

The Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs Secretary and Foreign Secretary had been surrendered by the government to the RCSC in December 2014 mainly for not taking the government’s permission to write a strongly worded letter to the Indian government on corruption allegations in the BHEL and BVT case.
The letter had been written on behalf of the Royal Government of Bhutan without the RGoB’s clearance.

In a press release issued from the cabinet, the government said that has sent the Foreign Minister on ‘authorized absence’ over the prosecution of the Lhakhang Karpo case by the Office of the Attorney General.

The release stated that this was being done to prevent controversy and conflict of interest.

The Prime Minister will be taking over the Foreign Ministry till the matter is resolved.

The Prime Minister upon return from visit to India on Monday, 19 Jan 2015, called for an emergency meeting of the Royal Civil Service Commission, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour and Human Resources to review the B.Ed graduates issue at hand, to find immediate solutions to it and to explore the job prospects for the BEd graduates in the coming years.

The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Education and RCSC to immediately undertake a re-assessment of the teacher deployment, and decide how many can be employed on contract.
The Prime Minister also directed the Ministry of Education, GNHC Secretariat and RCSC on recruitment of B.Ed graduates on contract in the central schools.

The Prime Minister noted that the 107 existing Bhutanese teaching in Thailand are happy and satisfied. He directed the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources to immediately get in contact with relevant agencies for enhanced recruitment of Bhutanese in Thailand and abroad.

The Prime Minister informed the meeting that he talked to Australian delegation at the recent Vibrant Gujarat Summit about sending young Bhutanese to Australia which has been received positively. He said that he would work on this on priority basis.
The Prime Minister also informed the meeting that he directed the BOIC to aggressively pursue the plan of action to develop the entrepreneurial skills in young Bhutanese for self-employment and to generate jobs.

The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and Human Resources and GNHC for a joint proposal by end of the week outlining strategies to address the issue.

In response to a question at its press conference with the media the Opposition party went into a detailed critique of the government’s performance on the economic front from low growth rates to high liquidity and low FDI. References were also made to the Prime Minister’s investment pitch at the vibrant Gujarat summit.

The Opposition Leader Pema Gyamtsho said that though the lowest GDP rate of 2.05% for 2013 had been blamed on the previous government by the current government, it was actually due to lack of investments, plans and programs in the first year of the 11th plan by the new government.

He said that the previous government had made a lot of investments in rural areas like for farm roads which improved people’s lives, electricity and others all of which reduced poverty from 24 % to 12%.
MP Kinga Tshering said that 2013-2014 Budget report has forecasted a 7.08% growth rate based also on the Nu 5 bn Economic Stimulus Plan which was supposed to increase growth.

“But in reality the actual growth rate of 2.05% and so why did the growth not happen and therefore people should also be held accountable for it,” said Kinga.

Kinga said the excess liquidity of Nu 19.7 bn in the banks was quite surprising as it meant people were not borrowing. He said this was the case as the government was neither able to stimulate the economy nor come up with economic policies to do so.

Kinga said that with one and a half year gone the government should not make excuses and should have economic policies in place so that people can take advantage of them. He said if the government was blaming the former government for low growth rates in 2013-2014, then would the government give credit for the much higher growth rates in 2017-2018 when Punatsangchu I, which was started by the former government, is completed.

MP Dorji Wangdi said that the 2012 International Monetary Fund report had said that Bhutan was the third fastest growing country in the world. He said a report in the Economist in 2011 had said that Bhutan following the same measures would continue to be the fourth fastest growing economy in the world.

He said that such growth had been made possible due to the former government’s investments in various hydro projects and other social sector projects.

Former Finance Minister Wangdi Norbu said that the high liquidity in the banks was due to the banks which had high exposure to sectors like housing clamping down on loans in these areas. He said the banks did not have other major sectors to give the money out to. He, however, said that Nu 19 bn was actually not a very big amount as the start of one or two big activities could soak up this credit. He said the start of BOIC also offering cheaper credit would also have affected the liquidity of banks.

The Opposition Leader said that despite the Prime Minister’s investment offer in Gujarat not much would change in terms of ground realities. He gave the example of the Land Act and the closure of the Education City project and also lack of investment in the tourism sector.

The Opposition party also pointed that the clean, green and sustainable pitch of the PM was actually a part of the manifesto of the DPT and also present in the 2010 FDI policy of the former government.
MP Kinga Tshering said that for global investors they wanted clear economic policies and continuity. He said that the policies have to be clear, decisions have to be made and there must be follow through. He said that he hoped that the PM could get in investment from the Vibrant Gujarat summit where billions of dollars were being committed in India as all he had heard was of around 2,000 cows coming to Bhutan.

Wangdi Norbu alluding to the Education City project said that FDI investors want safety of their money. He said the previous government had made a liberal FDI policy and many investors had come in and the last of which was the Education City where an agreement was made and then it was stopped. He said that what investors think will happen to their money when approved projects are stopped halfway.

Former Economic Affairs minister Khandu Wangchuk said that it was not easy to get FDI as global investors would not be looking at clean and green investments but in fact look at compromises on these fronts.

He said that there were many instances when investors came to Bhutan and got ‘carried away’ promising to come and invest but on going back to their accounts section they would calculate and then decide not to invest.

He pointed out several areas whereby Bhutan was not attractive for FDI. He said that an initiative like BOIC would make people only happy temporarily and others like sending out people for employment was accepting that there is no scope in Bhutan and giving up.

The MP said that people would have to work together and think of other ways to strengthen Bhutan’s economy.