KP Sharma

The Department of Labour has once again reminded Bhutanese employers not to hire foreign workers for plumbing and electrical jobs.

The department said this rule was based on the Regulations of Foreign Workers Recruitment, which aim to boost skill development and encourage local hiring.

Despite a notification issued last year, some construction owners have continued to hire foreign workers for these restricted fields, making it more difficult for local plumbers and electricians to find work.

The department’s call is part of a broader strategy to address the ‘critical skills shortage’ in foreign workforce recruitment regulation.. The ministry added that foreign workers can only be considered for plumbing and electrical jobs if there is clear evidence of a local talent shortage or on a case-by-case basis.

“These occupations have now been classified as non-critical, a shift from their previous status as ‘closed occupations’ for foreigners,” the department said.

The notification also warned that employers who violate these regulations would face legal action under existing laws.

The department stated that hiring foreign workers for plumbing and electrical works without approval from the Chief Labour Administrator (CLA), or contrary to the specified occupation on the work permit, would be regarded as misuse or alteration of the permit.

Such violations are classified as a fourth-degree felony under Sections 221-222 of the Labour and Employment Act, 2007. These sections also apply to employers.

The Rules and Regulation on Foreign Workers Management, amended in 2024, further restrict foreign workers from participating in any trade or occupation listed as non-critical in the Critical Skills Shortage List (CSSL) without approval from the CLA.

According to the rules, a foreign worker who violates this regulation will face a fine of ninety times the daily minimum wage for a first offence. For a second offence, their work permit will be canceled, and they will be reported to the immigration department for deportation.

Parsuram Chamlagai, the focal person for electrical and plumbing services in Tsirang and Dagana, expressed concern that the employment of foreign workers in fields where Bhutanese are qualified undermines the prospects for locally trained technicians.

“When foreign workers take over jobs that Bhutanese are capable of doing, it discourages our own trained technicians and limits their employment opportunities,” he said.

He said that some graduates from Vocational Training Institutes (VTI) and Technical Training Institutes (TTI) have had to switch careers due to a lack of job opportunities.

He added that the demand for local workers remains high, despite perceptions that they are more expensive.

In Tsirang, Parsuram Chamlagai handles most electrical and plumbing work himself and has noticed a growing interest in these trades among young VTI graduates.

A group of TVET graduates working at construction sites in Thimphu also said that if employers follow the law, it benefits both the country and the employers. They believe that prioritising domestic workers not only creates more job opportunities but also ensures employers receive quality service.

The ministry’s recent reminder follows a meeting between the department and local workforce representatives, who raised concerns about this issue.

Yangyel Lhaden

The recently constructed borewell—groundwater extraction—near the confluence of the Wangchhu and Hongtsho stream will help resolve the seasonal water shortage faced by residents of Babesa in Thimphu.

The borewell was constructed at a cost of Nu. 9.285 million.

The water shortage in Babesa worsens during the lean season, when the two water sources at Chamgang and Royal Thimphu College, dry up.

“Water sources in Motithang, Chamgang, and Ngabi Rongchhu above Royal Thimphu College have been experiencing a decline in the safe yield flow over the years,” a Thimphu Thromde official said.

In this wake, Thimphu Thromde is exploring alternative water sources, such as borewells, to ensure water supply during the lean season.

The new borewell is connected to the reservoir tank that distributes water to Babesa area.

“This site is ideal for a borewell due to easy accessibility for machinery, and its location at the lowest point near the convergence of the river and the stream aids in the natural replenishment of groundwater,” the thromde official said.

The thromde official also said that the borewell is constructed at a considerable distance from the Wangchhu, ensuring its safety from minor regular floods. 

The groundwater has been treated and meets the standards set by the Bhutan Water Quality Standard 2016. The assessment of water quality encompasses key parameters such as pH value, turbidity, hardness, conductivity, and total coliform levels, all of which are within permissible limits.

Thimphu Thromde is planning to construct another borewell on the left side of Babesa, which would benefit the entire Babesa area.

Thimphu Thromde has constructed three borewells near the flyover bridge that supplies water to Changbangdu and Changzamtok. A new borewell will also be constructed at the base of Debsi.

These borewells will provide a reliable water supply during the dry season.

The thromde official said that several studies indicate groundwater recharge as a potential water source to complement existing water sources.

According to the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology, Thimphu has received an average annual rainfall of 564.64 mm over the past 13 years. The Hydrology Report 2022 indicates that, on average, approximately 58 percent of annual precipitation contributes to groundwater recharge, with increases in both annual and summer precipitation expected to enhance this recharge. Snowfall in Thimphu and nearby mountains also contributes to groundwater recharge.

“The borewells will only be used in lean season ensuring that the groundwater is recharged during summer,” the thromde official said.  “In the dry season, groundwater will serve as a contingency backup when other water sources are insufficient, ensuring long-term sustainability.”

Extracting water with borewells involves using an electric pump, but this will not impact the current water tariff. “However, the government will review the operational and maintenance costs over time and adjust the water tariff rates as needed,” said the thromde official.

Thimphu Thromde will monitor the borewell’s water quality daily in line with the Drinking Water Quality Standard 2016, with oversight provided by the Royal Centre for Disease Control.

Thukten Zangpo

The Royal Audit Authority (RAA) has revealed that the State Mining Corporation Limited (SMCL) fell short of its revenue targets during the 2019-2022 period.

According to the RAA’s Performance Audit of SMCL for 2024, the corporation’s actual earnings were below projections outlined in its Corporate Strategic Plan (CSP) and Field Mine Feasibility Study (FMFS).

Since its inception, the SMCL has been operating four different minerals – dolomite, gypsum, coal, and quartzite.

The CSP for 2019-2023 had set ambitious goals for SMCL, aiming to generate a cumulative revenue of Nu 21.87 billion and pay Nu 2.46 billion in taxes by the end of 2023. However, the mining corporation managed to accrue only Nu 12.19 billion in revenue over the period, failing to meet these targets.

The RAA audit found that, except for 2019, SMCL did not reach its intended revenue goals in most years from 2017 to 2022.

In 2019, the company surpassed its profit target of Nu 1.26 billion, achieving Nu 1.43 billion. Yet, in 2020, the corporation fell significantly short, earning only Nu 1.17 billion against a target of Nu 2.51 billion, a shortfall attributed in part to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021 and 2022, SMCL’s revenue was Nu 4.23 billion and Nu 5.37 billion respectively, both falling short of targets of Nu 5.26 billion and Nu 6.09 billion.

For 2023, although the company set a target of Nu 6.75 billion, it achieved Nu 6.47 billion, according to the latest Druk Holding and Investments report.

The RAA also assessed SMCL’s revenue in relation to the FMFS, which had projected a revenue of Nu 12.99 billion by the end of 2022. The actual revenue, however, was Nu 11.66 billion, reflecting an unrealised revenue potential of approximately Nu 1.32 billion.

The report also found that the actual revenue achievement and targets of Annual Performance Compact (APC) and the company’s actual revenue was in proximity between 2017 to 2019.

The revenue performance in 2020 dropped significantly to Nu 1.17 billion, below the APC’s target of Nu 1.97 billion, mainly because of Covid-19.

In 2021 and 2022, the company’s profit surpassed the targets of APC.

The RAA stated that while the company has been able to achieve the revenue targets set in the APC for most of the years, its revenue performance fell short of targets set in the CSP and FMFS reports.

The SMCL explained that the cumulative revenue target of Nu 21. 87 billion was ambitiously projected based on an assumed and gradual annual production and sale increment over the CSP period of years.

“The targets for the operational years were set annually upon confirmation of the demand volume of the mineral products from the buyers,” it stated.

SMCL explained that the deviation between actual revenue and FMFS projections was because the projections were made at different times based on mineable reserves, fixed lease periods, and unconfirmed market information.

“The Dzongthung stone quarry in Bartsham, Trashigang, faced significant deviation from the targets of 82 percent due to the suspension of the Kholongchhu hydropower plant,” the SMCL stated.

The audit was conducted covering the period between January 2015 to December 2022.

Jigmi Wangdi

A group of Japanese volunteers donated a first-of-its-kind stroke mobile van to Bhutan Stroke Foundation (BSF) to support its endeavours in caring for stroke patients and survivors in the country.

The mobile van was donated by a group of Japanese donors.

The Japanese volunteers, led by the Advisor to Handa Bhutan Youth Exchange Association, Tomoyuki Matsuishi, handed over the mobile van to the BSF yesterday.

Tomoyuki Matsuishi, who has been working closely with the Rotary Club of Thimphu, said that the funds for the mobile van were raised through crowd-funding.

“We are very happy to be able to make this health contribution to Bhutan. We understand that the problem of stroke in the country is a serious one and the landscape of the disease is ever-changing,” Tomoyuki Matsuishi said.

The Executive Director of BSF, Dawa Tshering, said that this multi-purpose mobile van will increase the efficiency of the services that BSF provides to its members.

“It will ensure that the patients who come to our organisation for rehabilitation can avail a proper transportation service. Instituting a basic mobile van highlights the importance of accessing free care,” he said. 

However, he said that the mobile van cannot be used as an emergency response vehicle as this would require trained human resources. “Right now, it will support our social workers in visiting homebound patients, providing transportation, etc.”

In the past, the lack of transportation caused difficulties as volunteers could not visit stroke patients.  “Even technical volunteers, such as medical personnel or physiotherapists, could not go for follow-ups. The new mobile van will now serve multiple services and we will be able to cater to the needs of our patients,” Dawa Tshering added.

According to the medical records with Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, there were a total of 876 stroke patients between 2021 and October 2023. Some 316 cases were reported in 2021, which increased to 332 cases in 2022.

The statistics also showed that men suffered more from strokes than women. Even children as young as one to five years could suffer from strokes.

BSF has assisted 30 patients since its inception in 2019. However, it faces a growing demand for support, with over 200 registered patients seeking assistance.

The attempt to attract Nu 500 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the next five years (by 2029) is an ambitious target. If we can achieve even half of the target, it will be a huge achievement. How we go about achieving it is as big a question.

FDI is not a new concept; it has been around for years. As of last year, Bhutan’s FDI is around  Nu 48.61 billion, with the hotel sector driving FDI. The sector may have contributed 34.9 percent of GDP, but if we delve deeper, it is just a handful of hotels hidden in the lush forests towering our dzongs and lhakhangs without much trickle-down effect. Beyond this, FDI has not paved the way in other sectors. IT-enable services comes second, but that too is concentrated in a few hands, government or private.

The new target is banking on the Invest Bhutan Web Portal. The interactive portal, available in more than hundred languages, aims to enhance the investment experience by providing comprehensive information on opportunities and regulations on foreign direct investments in Bhutan.

This might be one good way of enhancing the ease of doing business, but let us be serious. The portal could be a good bridge, but from experience, we know that to attract FDI, there should be many thing in place to make environment conducive. It is good to hear, even if not new,  that the government is working to create a conducive environment backed by policies, plans, and projects.

If we want the aspirations to be fulfilled, we have to translate the plans and policies into reality. It has to be quick because time is not on our side.  A foreign company learning about Bhutan, including areas of business opportunities where foreign investors can invest, will look beyond what we have. There is no denying that political stability, clean and safe environment could attract investors. But at the end of the day, returns from the investment matters. Investors could get carried away by our policies, but reality is what matters the most as they would want to profit from their investment.

What investors would look at beyond the peace and clean environment is the capital partners, labour force, technology, and market. Bhutan has improved in the  ease of doing business ranking, indicating that attempts are made to attract FDI. However, located in a region where most of our neighbours are trying for the same, attracting FDI, we need to make the most of our advantages.

The biggest hurdle, many say, is the road infrastructure. As a landlocked country, getting the best product grown or manufactured in Bhutan, for instance, becomes uncompetitive when it has to be transported in the backs of trucks, often struck at landslide or roadblocks.

The portal showcases investment opportunities in agriculture, IT and IT-enabled services, construction, livestock, wood and furniture, and education and skilling with joint-venture of 74 percent. If we can live up to the expectations, we need not look for markets beyond our own country.

The  planned Gelephu Mindfulness City, for instance, alone  would require the goods and services of the identified sectors if we can make them happen.

Chencho Dema

Punakha—Amidst Punakha’s blistering summer heat, with temperatures soaring to 38.5°C, the Mochhu becomes an irresistible retreat for locals seeking relief. The cool waters of the river offer a temporary escape, but beneath its tranquil surface lies a dangerous undercurrent. Over the years, this seemingly serene river has claimed numerous lives, transforming what should be a moment of refreshment into a recurring tale of tragedy.

The data highlights Punakha’s extreme summer temperatures in 2023, with the highest daily maximums recorded as follows: 35.5°C in June, 38.5°C in July, 37.5°C in August, 35.0°C in September, and 34.5°C in October. The figures show the intense heatwaves that the dzongkhag experienced, particularly in mid-summer, with July peaking at an unprecedented 38.5°C.

As summer temperatures continue to rise, the rivers of Punakha—Phochhu, Mochhu, and Punatshangchhu—become popular spots for children and adults alike seeking relief from the heat. Drawn by the promise of cool waters, many gather along the banks, often unaware of the hidden dangers that lurk beneath these inviting surfaces.

On May 14 last year, a 24-year-old de-suup drowned in the Mochhu while trying to save a friend. He and his friends had gone to the river for a swim and to wash clothes when the tragedy occurred.

On the morning of August 12 last year, the Punatshangchhu claimed another young life. A 12-year-old student was swept away by the current, while another child of the same age narrowly escaped the same fate.

In 2021, a young monk from Punakha Dratshang lost his life beneath the Phochhu suspension bridge. He had gone with his friends during a tea break to wash his head under the bridge. His body was recovered a few hours later.

From 2017 until April 2021, Punakha recorded eight drowning cases. The bodies of a woman and a man who drowned in 2020 have not yet been recovered.

Between 2022 and 2023, Punakha recorded two drowning cases each year.

No drowning incidents have been reported this year, a development that police officials attribute to increased public awareness and school advocacy efforts.

The issue of drowning in the dzongkhag has become serious to garner attention from the authorities concerned, who have responded to this public safety crisis.

Punakha police monitor the riverbanks, while the dzongkhag disaster management office continues to issue cautionary notifications to the public.

The focal person for Dzongkhag Disaster Management (DDM), Rinzin Wangmo, said that DDM released an annual monsoon advisory note, outlining precautionary measures for public safety. This year’s monsoon advisory was issued on May 15.

“The notification was shared with local government leaders through an official group to further disseminate it to the public. Serving notifications and sending reminders are the least that the Dzongkhag can do to prevent such mishaps. However, the ultimate responsibility for personal safety during the monsoon lies with each individual,” she said.

Many expressed heightened caution, particularly warning their children to stay away from the rivers.

A housewife and mother of two recounted a terrifying experience when she heard people shouting at the Mochhu bank in Changyuel, claiming that someone had been swept away. “I was terrified that it might be my 13-year-old son, who loves swimming and was missing from home. I rushed to the riverbank, only to find out it wasn’t him.”

She added that she constantly monitors her son and warns him to stay away from the riverbanks.

Another resident from Changyuel said that it’s common to see children and adults swimming in the Mochhu. “No matter how much we warn them, many go to the river to cool off.”

According to World Health Organization data, drowning is the third-leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths worldwide, accounting for seven percent of all such deaths.

Thinley Namgay

Bhutan’s lone para shooter Kinley Dem will represent Bhutan in the women’s 10 metres air rifle competition at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, France, scheduled between August 28 and September 8.   

Kinley Dem, 29, from Wangdue, started her shooting career in 2018 and has so far participated in five major world championships.

Having trained for more than a year now, she is optimistic about her maiden participation at the Summer Paralympic Games.

She arrived in New Delhi, India on August 19 with her coach, Dawa Lham, for a crucial five-day training stint.

“I know the competition will be fierce but I am honoured and proud to represent my country. Although I have a disability, such an opportunity inspires me a lot,” she said.

Determined to make the most of her chance, she is eager to learn from international para-athletes and showcase her skills on the global stage.

Kinley Dem secured her spot in Paris through a wildcard entry, after she excelled at the Changwon 2024 WSPS World Cup in South Korea earlier this year. There, she scored an impressive 618.8 out of 654 points in the ranking round, placing her in the top eight. In the finals, she finished fourth with a score of 206.5 points.

Coach Dawa Lham is confident in Kinley’s abilities. “Her performance has been strong in training, consistently scoring between 617 and 624 points out of 654. She has shown great determination,” she said. “We are confident that she will qualify in the top eight at the Games.” 

In shooting, all participants compete at once for the final round and only the top eight are selected for the final round. 

The upcoming training in India is designed to acclimate Kinley Dem to the high-stakes environment of international competition. “The facilities and lighting in other countries are quite different from what she is used to. This training will help her adapt,” explained Lham.

While Kinley Dem faces limited domestic competition, the Coach said that there is a need for more participation in para-sports within Bhutan. “We need more athletes with disabilities to step forward. Our goal is to cultivate a robust talent pool,” she said.

In preparation for Paris, Kinley Dem took part in a final simulation competition organised by the Bhutan Shooting Federation on August 17. This event allowed her to perform before familiar faces and fine-tune her skills alongside two other fellow shooters.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will bring together over 4,000 para-athletes from around the world, competing in 549 events across 22 sports.

Their Majesties King Letsie III and Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho were warmly welcomed to Bhutan on their arrival at Paro Airport in a special Drukair flight yesterday.

The King and Queen of Lesotho are in Bhutan together with Their Royal Highnesses Princess Maseesio Mohato Seeiso and Princess Senate Mohato Seesio, on an eight-day state visit on the invitation of His Majesty The King.

The Lesotho Royal Family were received with a static guard of honour at the airport.

The Lesotho Royal Family were greeted at the Paro Airport by Their Royal Highneses Princess Chimi Yangzom Wangchuck, Princess Dechen Yangzom Wangchuck, and Princess Eeuphelma Choden Wangchuck, as well as ministers and senior government officials.

Two school children presented bouquets to the visiting Royals, and students and Desuups were lined up enroute to Thimphu to welcome them.

Their Majesties will hold an audience with the King and Queen of Lesotho at Tashichhodzong today.

༉ ཁ་ཙ་ ལི་སོ་ཐོ་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ཀྱི་ རྒྱལཔོ་མཆོག་དང་ རྒྱལ་བཙུན་ དེ་ལས་ རྒྱལ་སྲསམོ་རྣམས་ འབྲུག་ལུ་ རྒྱལ་ཁམས་ཀྱི་ གཟིགས་སྐོར་ནང་ བྱོན་གནང་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ལི་སོ་ཐོ་གི་ རྒྱལཔོ་ལིཊ་སི་ཡ་དང་གཅིག་ཁར་ རྒྱལ་བཙུན་ མ་སི་ན་ཊི་མོ་ཧ་ཊོ་སི་ཡ་སོ་དང་ རྒྱལ་སྲསམོ་ སི་ན་ཊི་མ་ཧ་ཊོ་སི་ཡ་སོ་ དེ་ལས་ རྒྱལ་སྲསམོ་ མ་སི་ཡ་སོ་མོ་ཧ་ཊོ་སི་ཚུ་ཡང་ བྱོན་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ལི་སོ་ཐོ་གི་ རྒྱལཔོ་དང་ སྐུ་འཁོར་ཚུ་ཡང་ མི་དབང་མངའ་བདག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་གིས་ མགྲོན་བརྡ་གནང་ཡོདཔ་བཞིན་དུ་ ཉིན་གྲངས་༨ ཀྱི་ གཟིགས་སྐོར་ནང་ བྱོན་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ལི་སོ་ཐོ་གི་ རྒྱལཔོ་དང་ རྒྱལ་བཙུན་ དེ་ལས་ རྒྱལ་སྲསམོ་ཚུ་ སྤ་རོ་གནམ་གྲུ་ཐང་ནང་ ཕེབས་པའི་སྐབས་ དྲག་པོའི་སྟི་སྭོ་ ཞུ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
མི་དབང་སྐུ་འཁོར་ཚུ་ སྤ་རོ་གནམ་གྲུ་ཐང་ནང་ཕེབས་ད་ མི་དབང་རྒྱལ་སྲསམོ་ འཆི་མེད་དབྱངས་འཛོམས་དབང་ཕྱུག་དང་ རྒྱལ་སྲསམོ་བདེ་ཆེན་དབྱངས་འཛོམས་དབང་ཕྱུག་ དེ་ལས་ རྒྱལ་སྲས་ཨུདྨ་ཆོས་སྒྲོན་དབང་ཕྱུག་ བློན་པོ་ དེ་ལས་ གཞུང་གི་ཆེ་མཐོའི་ འགོ་དཔོན་ཚུ་གིས་ ཕེབས་བསུ་ཞུ་ ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
སློབ་ཕྲུག་༢ ཀྱིས་ མི་དབང་རྒྱལཔོ་དང་ རྒྱལ་བཙུན་རྣམས་༢ ལུ་ མེ་ཏོག་ཚུ་ ཕུལ་ཡོདཔ་ད་ ཐིམ་ཕུག་ལུ་ བྱོན་པའི་ལམ་ཁར་ སློབ་ཕྲུག་དང་ བདེ་སྲུངཔ་ཚུ་གིས་ གྱལ་བསྣར་ཏེ་ བསུ་བ་ཕུལ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ད་རིས་ བཀྲིས་ཆོས་རྫོང་ནང་སྦེ་ མི་དབང་མངའ་བདག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་དང་ མི་དབང་རྒྱལ་བཙུན་རྣམས་༢ ཀྱིས་ ལི་སོ་ཐོ་གི་ རྒྱལཔོ་དང་ རྒྱལ་བཙུན་རྣམས་དང་ མཇལ་ཕྲད་གནང་ནི་ ཨིན་པའི་གནས་ཚུལ།

ཨོ་རྒྱན་རྡོ་རྗེ།

༉ ཐིམ་ཕུག་ ཀུན་གསལ་ཕོ་བྲང་གི་ དི་བི་ཡ་ པཱན་ཅ་ཡན་མཱན་དཱིར་ལུ་སྦེ་ ཉིན་གྲངས་༩ གི་རིང་ པུ་རན་ནམ་ ཧིན་དུའི་སྨོན་ལམ་ཆེན་མོ་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་སར་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ནང་འཁོད་ལས་ དད་ཅན་༡༠,༠༠༠ དེ་ཅིག་གིས་ བཅའ་མར་གཏོགས་ནུག།
འབྲུག་གི་ཧིན་དུ་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་ སྤྱི་ཟླ་༨ པའི་ཚེས་༡༠ ལས་༡༩ ཚུན་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་མི་ སྨོན་ལམ་ཆེན་མོ་དེ་ཡང་ མི་དབང་མཆོག་དང་ མི་དབང་རྒྱལ་བཙུན་ དེ་ལས་ སྐུ་འཁོར་ཚུ་ སྐུ་ཚེ་ཞབས་པད་བརྟན་ནི་དང་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ནང་ ཞི་བདེ་དང་ དགའ་སྐྱིད་བྱུང་ཐབས་ལུ་ཨིན་པས།
ལས་རིམ་སྐབས་ བློན་ཆེན་དང་ ལྷན་རྒྱས་ དེ་ལས་ སྤྱི་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་ འཐུས་མི་ཚུ་གིས་ཡང་ གྲལ་གཏོགས་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ནིར་བ་ན་པཊི་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ལས་ ཁས་བླངས་པ་ སྐྱེས་ལོ་༢༦ ལང་མི་ རཆ་གཱ་ལེ་གིས་ བསམ་རྩེ་ ནོར་བུ་སྒང་ ཁང་དྲུང་བཞི་ལུ་ ཤི་བཱ་ལྷ་ཁང་དེ་ མཐར་འཁྱོལ་ཅན་ཅིག་སྦེ་ འགྲུབ་ནི་ལུ་ སྨོན་ལམ་བཏབ་ཡོདཔ་ད་ ལྷ་ཁང་གསརཔ་དེ་ལུ་ མི་སྡེ་གིས་ ཧེ་མ་ལས་ར་ བསྒུགས་སྡོད་མི་ཅིག་ཨིན་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
ཚོང་འབྲེལ་ལས་ཁུངས་ནང་ འཕྲུལ་རིག་གི་ བཟོ་རིག་འགོ་དཔོན་སྦེ་ ཕྱག་ཞུ་མི་གིས་ རྐངམ་སྟོངམ་སྦེ་ མགྱོགས་པར་འགྱོ་ནི་ལུ་ ཁས་ལེན་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ད་ ད་རེས་ཀྱི་ཟླཝ་དེ་ དུས་བཟང་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་ཅིག་ཨིནམ་ལས་ དེ་བཟུམ་མའི་ ལས་རིམ་སྦོམ་ཤོས་ཀྱིས་ ལྷག་པར་དུ་ ལེགས་ཤོམ་སོང་ཡི་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
ནིར་བ་ན་པཊི་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ལས་ ཁས་བླངས་པ་༢༥ གིས་ ནང་པའི་ཆ་རོགས་གཞན་ཚུ་ལུ་ ལས་རིམ་ནང་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
འབྲུག་གི་ཧིན་དུ་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་ ཁྲི་འཛིན་བགྲེསཔ་ ཨཆ་ཅུཊ་བཱན་ཌ་རི་གིས་ སླབ་མིའི་ནང་ ཐིམ་ཕུག་ལུ་ ཧུན་དུ་གི་ལྷ་ཁང་གསརཔ་ཅིག་ རྐྱབ་པའི་ཤུལ་ལས་ སྨོན་ལམ་ཆེན་མོ་རྒྱས་པར་སྦེ་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་མི་དེ་ འགོ་དང་པ་འབདཝ་ལས་ རྒྱལ་རབས་ཅན་ཅིག་ཨིན་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
ལས་རིམ་དེ་ དད་ཅན་དང་ འབྲུག་གི་མི་སེར་ཚུ་གི་དོན་ལུ་ གལ་ཅན་ཅིག་ཨིནམ་ད་ ལས་རིམ་དེ་ལུ་བརྟེན་ ན་གཞོན་ཚུ་ལུ་ ཆོས་དང་འབྲེལ་བའི་ ལས་སྣ་ཚུ་ལུ་ བརྩི་མཐོང་བསྐྱེད་ཚུགས་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
འབྲུག་གི་ཧིན་དུ་ཆོས་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་ པན་ཌིཊ་ དི་ལི་རམ་གཱ་མི་རི་དང་ འཁྲིལ་བ་ཅིན་ སྨོན་ལམ་ཆེན་མོ་དེ་ ལམ་སྲོལ་ཧ་གོ་ནི་ ཡར་དྲག་དང་ རྒྱབ༌རྟེན༌མ༌འདྲཝ༌ཚུ༌ལས༌ མི་སྡེ་ཚུ་ གཅིག་ཁར་འཛོམས་ཞིནམ་ལས་ རང་སོའི་ལམ་ལུགས་སྲོལ་སྐོར་ལས་ བརྗེ་སོར་འབད་དེ་ གཅིག་གིས་གཅིག་ལུ་ ངལ་རངས་བསྐྱེད་ཐབས་ལུ་ཨིན་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
ཨ་རྟག་འབད་བ་ཅིན་ སྨོན་ལམ་ཆེན་མོ་དེ་ ཉིནམ་༣ ལས་༧ མ་གཏོགས་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་ནི་མེདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ད་རེས་ཀྱི་ སྨོན་ལམ་ཆེན་མོ་དེ་ གཞན་དང་མ་འདྲཝ་དང་ རྩ་ཅན་ཅིག་ཨིནམ་བཞིན་དུ་ ལྷ་དབང་ཕྱུག་དང་ ཁྱབ་འཇུག་ དེ་ལས་ ཚོགས་བདག་༣ གཅིག་སྒྲིལ་ཅིག་ཨིནམ་ད་ ལས་རིམ་དེ་ཡང་ འབྲུག་ལུ་ འགོ་དང་པ་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་ཨིན་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
འབྲུག་གི་ཧིན་དུ་ཆོས་ཚོགས་དེ་ སྤྱི་ལོ་༢༠༠༩ ས་ན་ཐཱན་ ཧིན་དུ་ མ་ནཔ་དར་མ་ སར་པཌི་དར་མ་ སའི་ མ་ཏ་ དེ་ལས་ ཀི་རཊིསི་ བླམ་དང་མི་རིགས་ཚུ་ལུ་ གཞི་བཞག་ཐོག་ལས་ གཞི་བཙུགས་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དི་བི་ པཱན་ཅན་མཱན་དིར་དེ་ མི་དབང་མཆོག་གི་ བཀའ་རྒྱ་དང་འཁྲིལ་ཏེ་ བཞེངས་ཡོདཔ་བཞིན་དུ་ སྤྱི་ལོ་༢༠༡༨ ལས་ དད་ཅན་ཚུ་གི་དོན་ལུ་ སྒོ་ཕྱེ་ཡོདཔ་ད་ ལྷ་ཁང་དེ་ཡང་ དངུལ་ཀྲམ་ས་ཡ་༦༥ བཏང་ཐོག་ལས་ རྐྱབ་ཡོད་པའི་གནས་ཚུལ།
ཨོ་རྒྱན་རྡོ་རྗེ།

༉ ཨ་རྟག་འབད་བ་ཅིན་ དབང་འདུས་ཕོ་བྲང་ སྒང་སྟེང་རྒེད་འོག་གི་ སྦལ་ལྟག་ཆུ་དེ་ འུར་སྒྲ་མེད་མི་ཅིག་ཨིན་རུང་ ཆུ་སྟོད་ལུ་ ཆརཔ་ཤུགས་སྦེ་ རྐྱབ་མི་ལུ་བརྟེན་ སྦལ་ལྟག་དང་ རྒྱལ་ལ་ དེ་ལས་ ལྟོ་ཁ་གཡུས་ཚན་ཚུ་ནང་ ཆུ་རུད་ཐོན་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
སྤྱི་ཟླ་༨ པའི་ཚེས་༡༨ ཀྱི་ ཉིན་མའི་ཆུ་ཚོད་༢ དེ་ཅིག་ཁར་ ཆུ་རུད་ཐོན་མི་དེ་ རྒེད་འོག་ནང་ འགོ་དང་པ་ཨིན་པས།
ཆུ་རུད་ཀྱིས་ མི་ལུ་གནོད་སྐྱོན་རྐྱབ་ཡོད་པའི་ སྙན་ཞུ་མེད་རུང་ དམིགས་བསལ་དུ་ སོ་ནམ་པ་༡༠ གྱི་ ཀེ་བའི་ཞིང་ཚུ་ལུ་ གནོད་སྐྱོན་སྦོམ་སྦེ་ར་ རྐྱབ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
སྒང་སྟེང་རྒཔོ་ ཀུན་ལེགས་རྒྱལ་མཚན་དང་ འཁྲིལ་བ་ཅིན་ ཆུ་རུད་ཀྱིས་ ཀེ་བ་ཨེ་ཀར་༣ དེ་ཅིག་ མེདཔ་བཏང་ཡོདཔ་ད་ ཀེ་བ་ཨེ་ཀར་༢ རྐོ་ཡོད་རུང་ ཨེ་ཀར་༡ དེ་ཅིག་ མ་བརྐོ་བ་ལུས་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དེ་མ་ཚད་ ཆུ་རུད་ཀྱིས་ སྟེང་ས་དང་ སོ་ནམ་ཞིང་གི་ ལྕགས་སྐུད་ར་བ་དང་ སྦལ་ལྟག་སློབ་གྲྭ་ཆུང་བའི་ འཐུང་ཆུའི་ཆུ་དུང་ཚུ་ འཕྱགས་བདའ་སྟེ་ གུང་པ་༧ ལུ་ འཐུང་ཆུའི་ དཀའ་ངལ་ཐོན་ཡོདཔ་ད་ སྦལ་ལྟག་ཟམ་གྱི་ གཞི་འགྱམ་ལུ་ཡང་ གནོད་སྐྱོན་ དུམ་གྲ་རེ་རྐྱབ་སྟེ་ ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ཆུ་རུད་ཀྱིས་ ས་གནས་ཀྱི་ གཞིས་ཆགས་ཚུ་ལུ་ཡང་ གནོད་སྐྱོན་རྐྱབ་ཡོདཔ་ད་ ཀུན་ལེགས་རྒྱལ་མཚན་གྱིས་ སླབ་མིའི་ནང་ དེ་ཚེ་ སློབ་གྲྭ་ངལ་གསོ་བཞག་སྟེ་ སློབ་དཔོན་ཚུ་གིས་ ཆུ་དུང་མེདཔ་ཐལ་མི་ཚུ་ ཉམས་བཅོས་འབད་ནི་ལུ་ ཁས་བླངས་འབད་ཡི་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
སྦལ་ལྟག་སྨན་ཆུ་དེ་ སྦལ་ལྟག་གཙང་ཆུ་གི་ ཉེ་འདབས་ལུ་ ནང་པའི་སྨན་ཆུ་ཅིག་ཨིནམ་བཞིན་དུ་ ནད་གཞི་མ་འདྲཝ་ཚུ་ སྨན་བཅོས་འབད་མི་ཡང་ ཆུ་རུད་ཀྱིས་ འཕྱགས་བདའ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
རྒེད་འོག་བདག་སྐྱོང་འགོ་དཔོན་ ཤེས་རབ་རྡོ་རྗེ་གིས་ སླབ་མིའི་ནང་ རྒེད་འོག་བདག་སྐྱོང་གིས་ མི་སྡེ་ཁས་བླངས་པ་དང་ ཅ་ཆས་ཚུ་ འཚོལ་ཞིབ་འབད་ནི་ལུ་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་འབད་བའི་ཁར་ ཆུ་ཁ་སྒྱུར་གཏང་ནི་ལུ་ ས་བརྐོ་འཕྲུལ་ཆས་ཚུ་ བགོ་བཀྲམ་འབད་དེ་ གནོད་སྐྱོན་རྐྱབ་མི་ཚུ་ དབྱེ་ཞིབ་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
རྐྱེན་ངན་ཐོན་པའི་སྐོར་ལས་ རྐྱེན་ངན་མགྲིན་ཚབ་ལུ་ སྙན་ཞུ་འབད་ཡོདཔ་བཞིན་དུ་ ད་རེས་ ཆུ་རུད་ཀྱིས་ གནོད་སྐྱོན་རྐྱབ་མི་ཚུ་ དབྱེ་ཞིབ་དང་ སླར་རྙེད་ལུ་ གཙོ་རིམ་བཟུང་སྟེ་ ལཱ་འབད་བའི་བསྒང་ཡོད་ཟེར་ རྒཔོ་གིས་ བཤདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དེ་ཚེ་དྲོ་པ་ གནམ་གཤིས་གནས་སྟངས་འབད་བ་ཅིན་ དྲོ་པ་ཉིམ་ཤར་ཡོད་རུང་ གློ་བུར་དུ་ ཆརཔ་ཤུགས་སྦེ་ རྐྱབ་མི་ལུ་བརྟེན་ ཆུ་རུད་ཐོན་ཐོནམ་བཟུམ་ཅིག་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དེ་ཚེ་ཕྱི་རུ་ དབང་འདུས་ཕོ་བྲང་ ཀ་བཞི་རྒེད་འོག་ བལ་ཡུལ་གཡུས་ཚན་ནང་ཡང་ ཆུ་རུད་ཐོན་ཏེ་ སོ་ནམ་པའི་ཞིང་དང་ སྡོད་ཁྱིམ་དག་པ་ཅིག་ལུ་ གནོད་སྐྱོན་རྐྱབ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ཨིན་རུང་ མི་ལུ་ གནོད་སྐྱོན་རྐྱབ་ཡོད་པའི་ སྙན་ཞུ་མེདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ཀ་བཞི་རྒཔོ་ ཀུན་ལེགས་ཀྱིས་ སླབ་མིའི་ནང་ འདས་པའི་ཉིནམ་དག་པ་ཅིག་ ཆརཔ་མ་ཆད་པར་ རྐྱབ་མི་ལུ་བརྟེན་ འོང་ནི་མས་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
ཆུ་རུད་ཀྱིས་ ཀེ་བ་དང་ ཨེ་མའི་ཞིང་ཨེ་ཀར་ཅིག་ལྷགཔ་ཅིག་དང་ སོ་ནམ་ཞིང་ལམ་༢ དེ་ལས་ བཙོག་དུང་ཚུ་ཡང་ མེདཔ་བཏང་ཡོདཔ་ད་ ས་གནས་ཀྱི་མི་སེར་ ཆུ་རུད་མ་ཐོན་མི་ བཟའ་ཚང་ཚུ་ལུ་ གནོད་སྐྱོན་མ་རྐྱབ་མི་ཀེ་བ་ཚུ་ བརྐོ་ནི་ལུ་ ཆ་རོགས་འབད་དགོཔ་སྦེ་ སླབ་ཅི་ཟེར་ ཀུན་ལེགས་ཀྱིས་ བཤདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
རྐྱེན་ངན་གྱི་སྐོར་ལས་ རྫོང་ཁག་བདག་སྐྱོང་ལུ་ སྙན་ཞུ་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ད་ ཆུ་རུད་ཀྱིས་ ལོ་ཐོག་དང་ རྒྱུ་དངོས་ག་དེམ་ཅིག་ མེདཔ་བཏང་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་ནའི་ དབྱེ་ཞིབ་འབད་བའི་བསྒང་ ཡོད་པའི་གནས་ཚུལ།
ཨོ་རྒྱན་རྡོ་རྗེ།

Chencho Dema

Wangdue—The usually quiet Bayta Chhu stream swelled due to heavy rainfall upstream, flooding Bayta, Geyla, and Tokha villages in Gangtey Gewog, Wangdue on the afternoon of August 18.

The flood, which began around 2 PM, is the first of its kind to hit the gewog in recent years.

Though no casualties were reported, the flood caused significant damage, particularly to potato crops belonging to 10 farming households.

Gangtey Gup Kinley Gyeltshen said that around three acres of potato fields were destroyed. “However, about two acres had been harvested, leaving one acre unharvested.”

The flood also washed away topsoil and the fencing around the farms.

In addition, the drinking water pipe at Beta Primary School was destroyed, affecting water supply for seven households. The foundation of Beta Bridge also sustained minor damage.

The flash flood is the first of its kind to hit Gangtey in recent years

Other local settlements were spared from the flood’s impact.

Gup Kinley Gyeltshen said that the school declared a holiday yesterday, and the teachers volunteered to repair the damaged water pipe.

Bayta Menchu, a local medicinal spring near the Bayta river, known for treating various ailments, was also washed away.

Gewog Administrative Officer Sherab Dorji said that the gewog office mobilised local volunteers and equipment for relief efforts, including deploying a JCB machine to divert water flow and assess the damage.

  “The incident has been reported to disaster focal person and assessments are ongoing to evaluate the extent of damage and prioritise recovery efforts,” he added.

The cause of the flash flood was attributed to sudden heavy rainfall after a sunny morning. Although the full assessment of the damage is pending, initial reports suggest that the situation has been stabilised.

On the same evening, another flash flood occurred in Beyul village in Kazhi gewog, causing damage to farms and a few houses.

No human casualties were reported.

Kazhi Gup Kinley attributed the flood to continuous rainfall over recent days.

“More than an acre of potato and chilli fields were destroyed, along with damage to two farm roads and the destruction of Hume pipes,” he said. “I have asked the residents to help the affected families in harvesting the remaining unaffected potatoes.”

Meanwhile, the Dzongkhag administration has been notified about the incidents. The assessment of the full impact of the flood is underway.

Neten Dorji

Samdrupjongkhar—Tshering Tobgay, a 50-year-old entrepreneur, has turned a simple idea into a thriving business.

After observing a surging demand for egg trays  with the rising number of poultry farms across six eastern dzongkhags, he ventured into producing eco-friendly egg trays from waste.

The idea took root after Tshering Tobgay spent eight years dealing in scrap. He is the proprietor of Druk Scrap Dealer located in Samdrupjongkhar upper town.

In 2017, he noticed the difficulties poultry farmers faced due to a shortage of egg trays, which were often imported from India. “Poultry farmers were importing from India, including second-hand trays, which brought in poultry diseases along with them. Additionally, it was expensive,” he explained.

“My mission is to recycle waste into egg trays and address two issues at once – the waste problem and the shortage of quality egg trays.”

Supported by the Bank of Bhutan’s Priority Sector Lending scheme, Tshering Tobgay established Druk Egg Tray Manufacturing Unit in 2018 with the goal to produce high-quality egg trays while minimising waste.

The total establishment cost of the factory was Nu 10.5 million, of which Nu 6.35 million was loaned from Bank of Bhutan through the Priority Sector Lending scheme.

The factory, with seven employees, recycles nearly 90 percent of the collected waste, including cloth, plastics, and various types of paper and cardboard.

The factory has a capacity to produce up to 4,000 trays a day though it currently manufactures around 3,000 trays daily.  “Depending on the demand, production capacity can be increased,” he said.

This production helps meet the needs of poultry farmers in rural areas, offering a locally produced solution at a competitive price.

A new tray costs Nu 5 at his factory, compared to slightly cheaper, lower-quality trays from India.

The unit earned between Nu 60,000 to Nu 70,000 from the sale of egg-trays.

“I observed the market demand and realised the opportunity to become an entrepreneur. My focus is on supporting rural poultry farmers and contributing to rural progress,” Tshering Tobgay said.

His factory sources waste from schools, banks, and other institutions across the eastern dzongkhags.

“Waste is valuable,” he said, encouraging local schools and institutions to contact him for their paper waste disposal needs.

He said that if poultry farmers and egg suppliers buy egg trays from him, it would minimise import of egg trays from India as well as poultry diseases.

“Poultry farmers from eastern Dzongkhags also need not travel to India to buy egg trays now,” he said.

Data reveals a startling trend: 67.9 percent of economically active Bhutanese aged between 23 and 37 years are actively participating in the gaming platforms. While this may appear as a benign form of entertainment, it raises significant concerns about the potential social and economic impacts on Bhutan’s younger workforce. This trend warrants immediate attention, as it could have profound consequences for the nation’s future.

The widespread participation in gaming platforms suggests a considerable diversion of disposable income toward gambling. For young adults, many of whom are in their prime working years, this diversion poses a risk of financial instability. Funds that could be allocated for savings, investments, or essential expenditures are instead being channelled into gambling activities. If unchecked, this can lead to a dangerous cycle of financial overextension for many people. The temptation to continue gambling, often fuelled by the prospect of recovering losses results in borrowing money, plunging individuals into a cycle of debt that is difficult to escape.

Beyond the economic implications, the social and psychological impacts of such widespread gaming participation cannot be ignored. The high rate of involvement indicates a potential risk of gambling addiction, a serious issue with far-reaching consequences. Addiction strain relationships, reduce work productivity, and trigger mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. As more young people engage in gambling, there is a real danger of eroding the social fabric. The allure of “easy money” can undermine the ethic of hard work and perseverance, values that are essential for long-term stability and success. The risk associated with this continuing trend is that we may witness a cultural shift that prioritises quick financial gains over more sustainable and ethical practices.

So what, some might ask.

The impact on national development is another area of concern. Economically active individuals are the backbone of Bhutan’s growth and development. If a significant portion of this demographic is distracted or financially strained by gambling, the consequences could be serious. Reduced productivity, coupled with a less engaged workforce, could ultimately slow the nation’s economic progress. The real danger is that it could contribute to a widening gap between the economically stable and those struggling with debt and threaten to destabilise the nation’s social and economic fabric.

There are also ethical and moral concerns that must be addressed. The gaming industry often targets younger individuals who may be more susceptible to the allure of gambling, which raises ethical questions about the exploitation of vulnerable populations, particularly those who are still establishing their financial independence. It is imperative we recognise that there is a need for implementing measures to promote responsible gaming and protect individuals from the risks of addiction.

Given the serious implications, it is essential for stakeholders—including policymakers and the wider community—to address this issue proactively. Measures such as awareness campaigns, stricter regulations on gambling, and support systems for those at risk of addiction must be implemented to safeguard the well-being of Bhutan’s young population.

Failing to address this growing concern could have long-lasting negative effects on our social and economic fabric, undermining the very foundations of national development and social harmony.

The real concern is: This seemingly harmless pastime becomes a national crisis.

Jigmi Wangdi

Renowned wildlife photographer Roie Galitz recently visited Bhutan to lead a series of masterclasses on wildlife photography.

The masterclasses covered various topics, including lighting, weather, and behavioural conditions, which are key elements of successful wildlife photography.

Roie Galitz, whose work is celebrated worldwide, shared his knowledge of photography with Bhutanese filmmakers, photographers, and students.

He said that photography is a powerful medium for communication, capable of profoundly impacting how people view the world. “Through photography, individuals can share their unique points of view and inspire others,” he said.

This master class was part of a number of master classes lined up in the run up to the inaugural edition of the Kingdom of Bhutan International Film Festival (KBIFF) 2024, which will be held from September 17-27.

The Bhutan Film Institute (BFI), a non-profit organisation registered with the Civil Society Organisation Authority, is organising the international film festival.

Roie Galitz shared that the hospitality he encountered, along with the opportunity to learn about Bhutan’s rich traditions and commitment to nature conservation, made his visit incredibly enriching. “Bhutan has been an extraordinary experience,” he said.

He also highlighted the role of photography in promoting environmental awareness, especially in a country like Bhutan, which is known for its natural beauty and conservation efforts. “In Bhutan, where travel can be challenging, particularly in remote areas, photography plays a scrucial role in connecting people to the country’s nature and its inhabitants,” he said.

The potential of Bhutan as a global destination for photographers and filmmakers was also a key focus of Roie Galitz’s sessions. He described Bhutan as a place where cultural heritage has been preserved in a way that is rare in the modern world.

“Visiting Bhutan is akin to travelling back in time,” he said, adding that despite the challenges of wildlife photography in Bhutan, owing to its inaccessibility and the nature of the wildlife, the potential for future exploration is immense.

Roie Galitz also expressed his desire to work with local experts and wildlife photographers. “I recognise the importance of working with local Bhutanese wildlife photographers and experts,” he said.

A BFI representative said that Roie Galitz’s work aligns with Bhutan’s values of conserving the natural environment. “We are deeply moved by the expertise, tenacity, and love that Roie has put into his craft.”

Popular Indian composer Shantanu Moitra will also lead a featured masterclass during the festival. He has composed music for some of Bollywood’s most iconic films, including ‘Parineeta’, ‘Three Idiots’, ‘PK’, and ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’.

The Director of the Film Department of Festival de Cannes, Christian Jeune, will also lead a master class during the festival.

The KBIFF 2024 is a first of its kind international film festival to be held in the country. Hundreds of filmmakers from around the world are expected to attend the festival. 

KBIFF aims to celebrate the art of filmmaking, foster global appreciation for Bhutanese cinema, and showcase the unique cultural heritage of Bhutan and the Himalayan region. Held annually in September, KBIFF will feature a diverse range of films, discussions, and events that cater to filmmakers, industry professionals, and cinephiles alike.

Thinley Namgay

Bhutan’s Under-20 men’s national football team began their 2024 SAFF U-20 Championship campaign on a promising note in Nepal yesterday, conceding only a single goal against defending champions India. 

Captained by Pema Zangpo, Bhutan’s squad delivered one of their most impressive performances against India to date. The team demonstrated skillful play, precise passing, and solid team spirit.

The solitary goal from India’s Monirul Molla in the 36th minute proved decisive, as Bhutan’s relentless efforts to equalise fell short. The second half saw Bhutan intensify their attack, creating several scoring opportunities but failing to convert them.

The match was also marked by an unusual incident when the referee issued three red cards—two to Indian players and one to a Bhutanese player—following a heated altercation in the 64th minute.

Coach Takahashi Hideharu, who has been instrumental in developing Bhutan’s junior teams since 2021, expressed disappointment with the final score despite praising his team’s performance. “ The boys played a more pressing game in the second half, as instructed during the break.”

Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives are competing in the sixth edition of the SAFF Championship.   

Bhutan is placed in Group B alongside India and the Maldives while host  Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are in Group A. 

Bhutan’s hope for the SAFF U-20 title is still alive. Bhutan will face the Maldives in their next game tomorrow. If Bhutan beats the Maldives and India loses to the Maldives, Bhutan could qualify for the semifinals.

In the 2023 SAFF Championship in Nepal, Bhutan lost to Nepal 2-1.

In other tournament action on August 18, Nepal edged out Sri Lanka 1-0. Sri Lanka will face Bangladesh in today’s fixture.

YK Poudel

More than 10,000 devotees from across the country attended the nine-day Puran  ‘Shree Shiva, Vishnu, and Ganesh Maha Yagya’ at the Devi Panchayan Mandir in Kuenselphodrang between August 10  and 19.

The event, organised by the Hindu Dharma Samudhaya of Bhutan (HDSB), an affiliate of Chhoedey Lhentshog, Devi Panchayan Mandir Committee and six local chapters of HDSB, was a tribute to His Majesty The King, Her Majesty The Queen, and the Royal Family and the nation. It concluded with a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, and Members of Parliament.

Now Raj Ghalley, a 26-year-old volunteer from Nirvana Path Chhoetshog, dedicated himself to the event with a prayer for the successful establishment of a Shiva temple in Khangdrungzhi, Norbugang, Samtse. “The new temple is a long-awaited blessing for our community,” said Now Raj Ghalley, who is a mechanical engineer by trade.

He observed a month-long strict fast for the peace and prosperity of the nation through the spiritual practices of prayer, mantra chanting, and meditation.

Thousands of devotees throng the Mandir during the religious event

Moreover, Now Raj Ghalley completed a commitment to walk barefoot along with his fast. “This month (shawan) is auspicious for Hindus, and having a mega programme adds value to it,” he said.

About 25 volunteers from Nirvana Path Chhoetshog have been working for the entire period along with several Buddhist friends supporting the programme.

Puranas are ancient religious stories which expound truths, with 18 major puranas. Out of which six are addressed to Lord Vishnu, six to Lord Shiva and six addressed to Lord Brahma.

The former chairman of HDSB, Achyut Bhandari, said that this is the first time such a comprehensive Puran has been held in Thimphu, marking a historic landmark since the temple’s construction. “The programme was an important event for the devotees and the people of Bhutan. Through these occasions, we can cultivate spiritual values among our younger generations.”

According to Pandit Dilliram Ghimiray of HDSB, the prayer ceremony was aimed at fostering cultural understanding and appreciation among the people by bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to celebrate their shared history and traditions. “Usually, puranas are held from three days to seven days.”

“This puran was a special and unique one – an integration of Shiv, Vishnu and Ganesh puran,” he said. “This has happened for the first time in Bhutan,” he said.

The HDSB was established in 2009 with sub-sects such as the Sanathan Hindus, the Manav Dharma sect, the Sarvadharma sect, the Sai sect, the Mata sect, the Kirats and others based on spiritual gurus and ethnicity.

Devi Panchayan Mandir, established under the Royal Command of His Majesty The King, has been open for devotees since 2018. The temple was built with an investment of Nu 65 million.

༉ སྤྱི་ཟླ་༨ པའི་ཚེས་༡༥ ལུ་ འབྲུག་གི་མཁལ་རྡོག་གཞི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་ དགེ་ལེགས་ཕུག་ལུ་ མཁལ་རྡོག་གི་ ནདཔ་ཚུ་གི་དོན་ལུ་ སྡོད་ཁྱིམ་གསརཔ་སྒོ་ཕྱེས་ཐོག་ལས་ གཞི་ཚོགས་གཞི་བཙུགས་འབད་དེ་ ལོ་༡༢ འཁོར་བའི་ དུས་སྟོན་བརྩི་སྲུང་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
སྡོད་ཁྱིམ་ཚུ་ཡང་ དངུལ་འབྲེལ་དང་འབྲེལ་བའི་ དཀའ་ངལ་དང་ ཕམ་སྤུན་ཆ་མེད་མི་ མཁལ་རྡོག་གི་ ནདཔ་ཚུ་ལུ་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་འབད་ནི་ཨིན་པས།
དགེ་ལུགས་ལུང་ཕྱོགས་སྨན་ཁང་གི་ ཉེ་འདབས་ལུ་ཡོད་མི་ ཁང་ཚན་༢ འབད་མི་ སྡོད་ཁྱིམ་ནང་ ནདཔ་༡༣ དེ་ཅིག་ ཤོང་ཚུགས་ནི་ཨིནམ་ད་ མཐུན་རྐྱེན་དེ་ལུ་ བཞེས་སྒོ་དང་ ཉལ་ས་ཚུ་ ཐོབ་མི་གིས་ ནདཔ་ཚུ་ལུ་ ཁྲག་སེལ་དང་འབྲེལ་བའི་ སྨན་བཅོས་ཚུ་ དུས་ཚོད་ཁར་ ཐོབ་ཚུགས་ནི་ཨིན་པས།
གཞི་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་བཀོད་ཁྱབ་མདོ་ཆེན་ བཀྲིས་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་གྱིས་ སླབ་མིའི་ནང་ དངུལ་འབྲེལ་དང་ སྡོད་གནས་མེད་མི་ལུ་བརྟེན་ གལ་ཆེ་བའི་ སྨན་བཅོས་འབད་མ་ཚུགས་པའི་ དཀའ་ངལ་ཚུ་ བསལ་ཚུགས་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
ཁོ་གིས་འབད་བ་ཅིན་ ཧེ་མ་ མ་དངུལ་མ་ལང་མི་དང་ སྡོད་གནས་མེད་མི་ལུ་བརྟེན་ སྨན་བཅོས་དུས་ཚོད་ཁར་ འབད་མ་ཚུགས་པའི་ གནད་དོན་ཚུ་ཡང་ ཐོན་ཏེ་ཡོད་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
ད་རེས་ དགེ་ལེགས་ཕུག་ལུ་ མཁལ་རྡོག་གི་ ནདཔ་༦༨ བརྩིས་ཏེ་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ནང་ ནདཔ་༤༠༢ དེ་ཅིག་ ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
སྡོད་གནས་དེ་གིས་ ནདཔ་དང་ ཕམ་སྤུན་ཆ་ཚུ་ལུ་ དཀའ་ངལ་བསལ་ཚུགསཔ་མ་ཚད་ དགོས་མཁོ་ཅན་གྱི་ཞབས་ཏོག་ ཟས་བཅུད་ལམ་སྟོན་དང་ གསོ་བའི་འཕྲོད་བསྟེན་གྱི་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་ཚུ་ཡང་ ཐོབ་ཚུགས་ནི་ཨིན་པས།
བཀྲིས་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་གྱིས་ སླབ་མིའི་ནང་ ད་རེས་ དགེ་ལེགས་ཕུག་ལུ་ མཁལ་རྡོག་གི་ནདཔ་༥ ལུ་ སྡོད་གནས་དགོཔ་ཡོདཔ་ལས་ མཐུན་རྐྱེན་དེ་ ཁོང་ལུ་བྱིན་འོང་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
དགེ་ལེགས་ཕུག་དེ་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ནང་ ཁྲག་སེལ་ཞབས་ཏོག་ཡོད་མི་ ས་གོ་༦ ཡོད་ས་ལས་གཅིག་ཨིནམ་ད་ ཁྲག་སེལ་ཞབས་ཏོག་ཚུ་ཡང་ ཐིམ་ཕུག་དང་ སྤ་རོ་ བསམ་རྩེ་ ཕུན་ཚོགས་གླིང་ དེ་ལས་ མོང་སྒར་ཚུ་ནང་ ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ལས་རིམ་དེ་ཡང་ གཞི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་ ཁྲག་སེལ་གྱི་ སྨན་བཅོས་འབད་བའི་སྐབས་ མཁལ་རྡོག་གི་ནདཔ་ ཕུད་རྡོག་གཅིག་ར་ དགོས་མཁོ་ཅན་གྱི་ བདག་འཛིན་དང་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་ཚུ་ མ་ཐོབ་པར་ སྡོད་ནི་མེད་པའི་ དམིགས་ཡུལ་དང་འཁྲིལ་ཏེ་ཨིན་པས།
འབྲུག་མཁལ་རྡོག་གཞི་ཚོགས་དེ་ མི་དབང་རྒྱལ་བཙུན་ རྗེ་བཙུན་པདྨ་དབང་ཕྱུག་མཆོག་གི་ སྐྱབས་འཛིན་འོག་ལུ་ སྤྱི་ལོ་༢༠༡༢ ཟླ་༨ པའི་ཚེས་༡༥ ལུ་ ཞི་བའི་མི་སྡེ་ལས་ཚོགས་ཅིག་སྦེ་ གཞི་བཙུགས་འབད་ཡོདཔ་པས།
གཞི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་ གོ་བ་བརྡ་སྤྲོད་དང་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་ཞབས་ཏོག་ཐོག་ལས་ མཁལ་རྡོག་གི་ནད་གཞི་ཐོབ་མི་ ངོ་རྐྱང་ཚུ་ལུ་ ལྷན་ཐབས་འབད་ནི་ལུ་ གཙོ་རིམ་བཟུང་དོ་ཡོདཔ་བཞིན་དུ་ ནདཔ་དང་ སྤུན་ཆ་ཚུ་ལུ་ སྨན་བཅོས་ཞབས་ཏོག་དང་ ཉེ་བར་མཁོ་བའི་རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་ཚུ་ཡང་ འབད་དོ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
གཞི་ཚོགས་གཞི་བཙུགས་འབད་ཞིནམ་ལས་ཚུར་ གཞི་ཚོགས་ཀྱིས་ མཁལ་རྡོག་གི་ནདཔ་༡༠༠ ལྷགཔ་ཅིག་ལུ་ སྨན་བཅོས་ཀྱི་དོན་ལུ་ ཕྱིའི་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ཚུ་ནང་ མཁལ་རྡོག་ཚབ་བཙུགས་པར་ བཏང་མི་ཚུ་ལུ་ དངུལ་འབྲེལ་དང་འབྲེལ་བའི་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་ཚུ་ འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
གཞི་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་ ཁེ་ཕན་ཐོབ་མི་ཚུ་ཡང་ མང་ཤོས་ར་ གྲོང་གསེབ་ཚུ་ནང་ལས་ འོང་མི་ཨིན་པས།
འབྲུག་མཁལ་རྡོག་གཞི་ཚོགས་ཀྱི་ ནདཔ་སྡོད་གནས་ཡང་ འགོ་དང་པ་ར་ དབང་འདུས་ཕོ་བྲང་ལུ་ གཞི་བཙུགས་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
བཀྲིས་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་གྱིས་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་དང་ ཕྱི་ཁར་ཡོད་མི་ཚུ་གིས་ གཞི་ཚོགས་ལུ་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་འབད་དེ་ སྡོད་གནས་བཟོ་ཚུགས་མི་ལུ་ བཀྲིན་དགའ་ཚེོར་ཡོད་ལུགས་ཚུ་ བཤད་ཡོདཔ་ད་ སྡོད་གནས་ཀྱིས་ བདག་འཛིན་དང་ རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་དགོས་མཁོ་བྱུང་མི་ མཁལ་རྡོག་གི་ནདཔ་ མང་ཤོས་ཅིག་ལུ་ ཁེ་ཕན་སྦོམ་སྦེ་ར་ འཐོབ་ཚུགས་ཟེར་ ཨིན་པའི་གནས་ཚུལ།
ཨོ་རྒྱན་རྡོ་རྗེ།

༉ ཐིམ་ཕུག་ དགེ་བསྙེན་རྒེད་འོག་གི་ སྤྱི་འོག་༥ ཡོད་མི་ ཁྱིམ་གུང་༡༢༦ འབད་མི་ཚུ་གིས་ སྤྱི་ཟླ་༨ པའི་ཚེས་༡༥ དང་༡༦ ལུ་ སངས་རྒྱས་ཤ་མུ་གི་དུས་སྟོན་ལས་རིམ་ བརྩི་སྲུང་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དུས་སྟོན་ལས་རིམ་དེ་ཡང་ ཐོན་སྐྱེད་གོང་འཕེལ་དང་ མི་སེར་ཧ་མ་གོ་མི་ཚུ་ལུ་ རྒྱབ་རྟེན་ཧ་གོ་བཅུག་ཐབས་ལུ་ བརྩི་སྲུང་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ད་ ས་གནས་ཀྱི་མི་སེར་ཚུ་གིས་ ཤ་མུ་དེ་གི་མིང་ལུ་ སངས་རྒྱས་ཤ་མུ་ཟེར་ སླབ་སྲོལ་ཡོད་མི་དེ་ མི་སྡེའི་ནང་ འོང་འབབ་བཟོ་མི་ གཙོ་བོ་ཅིག་ཨིན་པས།
སྤྱི་ལོ་༢༠༡༤ ལས་འགོ་བཙུགས་ ལོ་བསྟར་དུས་སྟོན་བརྩི་སྲུང་འབད་མི་གིས་ མི་སྡེ་དང་ རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་གཉིས་ཆ་ར་ལུ་ དཔལ་འབྱོར་གྱི་ཁེ་ཕན་ཚུ་བྱུང་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
ས་གནས་ཀྱི་མི་སེར་ཚུ་གིས་ འདི་བཟུམ་གྱི་ཐོན་སྐྱེད་ བསྡུ་བསྒྱོམ་འབད་དེ་ ལོ་ངོ་༣༤ དེ་ཅིག་ ལང་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
སངས་རྒྱས་ཤ་མུ་ བསྡུ་བསྒྱོམ་འབད་ནིའི་དོན་ལུ་ རྒེད་འོག་མི་སྡེའི་སྡེ་ཚན་གྱིས་ མི་སྡེ་ནགས་ཚལ་སྦེ་ ས་ཆ་ཧེག་ཊོར་༨༥༧.༥ འཛིན་སྐྱོང་འཐབ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
མི་སྡེ་ཚུ་གིས་ ནགས་ཚལ་དེ་ ཁོང་རའི་མི་ཚེའི་ འཚོ་སྐྱོང་འཐབ་ས་ངོ་མ་ཅིག་ཨིན་པའི་ཚུལ་ལུ་ བདག་སྲུང་འབད་དོ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
གོང་ཚད་སྦོམ་གནས་མི་ སངས་རྒྱས་ཤ་མུ་དེ་ དགེ་བསྙེན་ཁ་གི་ མི་སེར་ཚུ་གིས་ ཚོང་སྒྱུར་ཐབས་ཏེ་ འོང་འབབ་དངུལ་ཀྲམ་༢༥༠,༠༠༠ དང་༤༠༠,༠༠༠ གི་བར་ན་ བཟོ་དོ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
གཡུས་མི་ཚུ་གིས་ འབད་བ་ཅིན་ སྒྲིག་གཞི་ཚུ་དམ་དམ་སྦེ་ར་ འཛིན་སྐྱོང་འཐབ་སྟེ་ ཤ་མུ་བསྡུ་བསྒྱོམ་འབད་མི་ ས་གནས་གཞན་ཁ་ལས་ འོང་མ་བཅུག་མི་དེ་ཡང་ ཁོང་གི་འོང་འབབ་བཟོ་ས་ གཙོ་བོ་ཅིག་ཨིན་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
རྫོང་ཁག་བདག་སྐྱོང་ནང་ དཔལ་འབྱོར་གོང་འཕེལ་དང་ ཚོང་འབྲེལ་འགོ་དཔོན་ མགོནམ་རྡོ་རྗེ་གིས་ བཤད་མིའི་ནང་ ཤ་མུ་གི་ དུས་སྟོན་བརྩི་སྲུང་འབད་དགོ་པའི་ དམིགས་ཡུལ་གཙོ་བོ་ཅིག་ ཚོང་འབྲེལ་གྱི་རྒྱུན་ལམ་དང་ གོ་བ་བརྡ་སྤྲོད་ ས་གནས་ཀྱི་མི་སེར་ དཔལ་འབྱོར་རྒྱ་སྐྱེད་འབད་ནི་དང་ གྲོས་འཛོམས་འཚོགས་པའི་ཤུལ་ལུ་ སྤྱི་ཟླ་༨ པའི་ཚེས་༧ ལུ་ ལཱ་འབད་ནི་འགོ་བཙུགས་ཡོདཔ་ད་ དུས་སྟོན་ནང་ ལས་སྡེ་ཁག་ལེ་ཤ་ཅིག་གིས་ འབྲེལ་གནད་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དུས་སྟོན་གྱིས་ རྒེད་འོག་ནང་ ལྟ་བཤལ་འོང་ནིའི་དུས་ཚོད་མེན་པའི་སྐབས་ལུ་ཡང་ འོང་བཅུག་ཐབས་དང་ མི་སྡེའི་ནང་ཡང་ རྒྱ་སྐྱེད་འབད་ཚུགས་ཟེར་ ཁོ་གིས་བཤདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
བཅའ་མར་གཏོགས་མི་ཚུ་གིས་ འབད་བ་ཅིན་ སངས་རྒྱས་ཤ་མུ་དེ་ དགེ་བསྙེན་ཁ་གི་མི་སེར་ཚུ་ལུ་ གསེར་བཟུམ་ཅིག་ཨིན་ཟེར་ཨིནམ་ད་ ལོ་བསྟར་བཞིན་དུ་ སྤྱི་ཟླ་༨ པ་ལས་འགོ་བཙུགས་ཟླཝ་༡༠ གྱི་ནང་འཁོད་ལུ་ གོང་ཚད་ལེགས་ཤོམ་འཐོབ་པའི་ཁར་ ནགས་ཚལ་སྟུག་དྲག་ཡོད་མི་ནང་ གཅན་གཟན་སེམས་ཅན་དང་ ཕྱད་པའི་ ཉེན་ཁ་ཚུ་ཡང་ ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དེ་འབདཝ་ད་ ས་གནས་ནང་སྡོད་མི་ཚུ་ལུ་ ཚ་གྱང་ཡོད་མི་དེ་ཡང་ ལོ་བསྟར་བཞིན་དུ་ ཐོན་སྐྱེད་ཚུ་ མར་བབས་འགྱོཝ་མས་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་ཤ་མུ་ལྟེ་བ་དང་ སོ་ནམ་དང་ སྒོ་ནོར་ལྷན་ཁག་གཉིས་ མཉམ་འབྲེལ་ཐོག་ལས་ གོ་བ་བརྡ་སྤྲོད་དང་ བརྡ་འཕྲིན་སྤེལ་ནིའི་ལས་རིམ་ཚུ་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དེ་ཁར་འཛོམས་མི་ཚུ་གིས་ ལས་རིམ་ཁག་མ་འདྲཝ་ ཧང་ཁྱད་བརྗེ་ནི་དང་ ཐགཔ་འཐེན་ནི་ མི་གསུམ་སྦེ་ རྐངམ་བསྡམས་ཐོག་ལས་ བང་རྒྱུག་འབད་ནི་ཚུ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དུས་སྟོན་ནང་ མི་༢,༠༠༠ དེ་ཅིག་ཡོད་མི་ཚུ་ཡང་ ས་གནས་ནང་སྡོད་མི་དང་ ལྟ་བཤལཔ་ཚུ་གིས་ ཉིནམ་གཉིས་ཀྱི་ ལས་རིམ་ཚུ་ནང་ འབྲེལ་གཏོགས་འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
དུས་སྟོན་དེ་ ཐིམ་ཕུག་རྫོང་ཁག་བདག་སྐྱོང་ འབྲུག་བློ་གཏད་མ་དངུལ་ མི་སྡེ་ཤ་མུ་སྡེ་ཚན་ གཞུང་ དེ་ལས་ སྒེར་དེ་ཚུ་གིས་ མ་དངུལ་གྱི་རྒྱབ་སྐྱོར་ འབད་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་པའི་གནས་ཚུལ།
ཚེ་རིང་དབང་འདུས།