Chencho Dema

A 46-year-old man who was arrested and detained by the Punakha police on February 27 this year for allegedly raping his 15-year-old stepdaughter, was sentenced to nine years in prison by the Punakha court yesterday.

The court convicted the defendant in accordance with the Penal Code (Amendment) Act of Bhutan 2011 which grades the crime as a second-degree felony carrying a prison term of a minimum of nine years and a maximum of fifteen years.

According to the Penal Code, a person is deemed guilty of rape of a child above the age of twelve years if they engage in any act of sexual act with a child between the ages of 12 to 18 years.

Meanwhile, upon release from prison, the convict will be required to pay child alimony.

The case arose from a complaint filed by the suspect’s wife. The incident occurred on February 26, during a verbal argument between the suspect and his 41-year-old wife from Trashiyangtse. Following the dispute, Paro police were notified of the matter.

Since the crime was committed in Punakha, the case was transferred to the Punakha police on February 27, leading to the detention of the convict. Prior to his arrest the convict was residing in Paro town with his wife and stepdaughter.

The convict is from Sewla village in Chubu gewog in Punakha.

The  convict was a former police constable.  He also fathered a child with the victim and the child is less than two years old.

Sources told Kuensel that the convict began molesting the victim  a few years ago when she was living in Punakha with her mother and stepfather. From Punakha they moved to Paro. The  suspect had included the victim in the census with him as his daughter. While their child is not registered with the census.

The convict has two children from the mother of the victim who are also living with his sister. The victim’s mother is residing in Paro and works as one of the weavers for a handicraft shop in Paro.

KP Sharma

The members of National Council (NC) quizzed the Education and Skills Development minister on the state of health and physical education (HPE) and sports programme in schools during the Question Hour session yesterday.

NC Members expressed concerns about the declining quality of HPE and sports activities in schools while reiterating its importance for the health and wellbeing of students.

They identified several factors contributing to the decline of sporting culture in schools, such as shortage of sports instructors, insufficient sports equipment due to budget constraints, and the low priority given to these activities in the school curriculum.

The NC member from Dagana, Birendra Chimoria, highlighted notiecable decline in sports culture in schools despite its recognised benefits. He pointed out that the frequent departmental changes overseeing sports division also hindered the  progress and outcomes of the sports programme.

In wake of the increasing cases of youth related crimes and drug issues, Birendra Chimoria suggested that adequate sports facilities could engage students during free time and deter them from unlawful activities. He stressed on the importance of HPE especially at a time when various diseases are emerging among children, including those in early classes.

Birendra Chimoria also highlighted the shortage of school sports instructors (SSI), pointing out that only 339 out of 567 schools in the country have SSIs.

The NC member from Tsirang, Nima Wangdi, urged the Ministry of Education and Skills Development to consider making sports instructors as regular employees as they are often hired on contract basis.

He pointed out that sports instructors are also assigned to teach HPE, which he argued is inappropriate given their specific training.

Nima Wangdi added that due to tight academic schedules, instructors do not have enough time to engage students in necessary activities, leading to numerous house and class competitions being organised in schools.

Samtse NC member, Tashi Dendup, highlighted the multiple roles assigned to SSIs in schools, such as warden, matron, and store in-charge, which prevent them from focusing on their primary responsibilities. He also mentioned the low yearly intake of SSIs in colleges and urged the ministry to assess the impact of SSIs in schools.

Responding to the concerns raised by NC members, the education and skills development minister, Yeezang De Thapa, said the government has allocated Nu 3.625 billion in the 13th  Five Year Plan to improve sports and physical activities in schools.

This represents 10.87 percent of the total budget for the ministry in the 13th plan.

Lyonpo said that Nu 1.977 billion is allocated to 63 central schools and Nu 1 billion to other schools. Further, Nu 98 million is earmarked for the professional development of SSIs, and about Nu 160 million for a special school intended to produce competent sports students capable of competing internationally.

Lyonpo acknowledged the multi-tasking burden on SSIs and the shortage of SSIs in schools, and assured that the ministry plans to resolve these issues once college students currently undergoing SSI trainings complete their programme. The ministry also aims to assign two SSIs in larger schools and one to each of the other schools over the coming years.

Thinley Namgay

Consuming plant-based diet is one of the solutions to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases.

While the causes of NCDs are diverse, including alcohol consumption, excessive intake of salt and sugar, tobacco use and lack of exercise, consumption of meat products is viewed as a primary factor. Meat accumulates saturated fat in the body, raises cholesterol levels, and increases disease risk.

These points were presented by Dr Zeeshan Ali during an awareness session on “Chronic Disease Prevention and Reversal with Plant-Based Diet in Bhutan” at the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (KGUMSB) yesterday in Thimphu.

Officials from KGUMSB, health professionals, and medical students attended the event.

Dr Zeeshan Ali,  a Programme Specialist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) based in Washington, D.C., USA,  was invited to Bhutan by the Duedro Rangwang Zhidey Tshogpa (DRZT), an animal rights and welfare association based in Thimphu.

According to Dr Zeeshan Ali, a vegetarian diet and a plant-based diet differ. He defines a plant-based diet as the consumption of naturally grown fruits, vegetables, legumes, and cereal products without any processing.

Dr Zeeshan said that the Bhutanese dietary system is not holistic as it comprises foods with high fat content, low fiber, and high cholesterol. He also said that increased intake of commercially processed foods is a major challenge for Bhutan.

Today, around 70 percent of the referrals in Bhutan are related to NCDs. Dr Zeeshan said that processed vegetarian food is not good for health due to the loss of mineral content during manufacturing.

He emphasised that people who exercise, engage in physical activities, and consume a plant-based diet could lead a healthy life.

Vitamin B-12 is the only vitamin that cannot be supplied by a plant-based diet, according to Dr Zeeshan. He  suggested taking a B-12 supplement from the hospital.

On a positive note, Dr Zeeshan observed that Bhutanese people have the potential to stay disease-free as he found many plant-based foods with high nutritional value. He pointed out red rice, beans, okra, and sweet potatoes as examples, besides many organic fruits.

How do we encourage a plant-based diet for people living in high altitudes where access to vegetables and fruits is minimal, asked a health professional. Dr Zeeshan said  that while this is a concern, health professionals should discuss with the government to reduce the tax on fruit and vegetable imports and increase the tax on processed food items.

Health professionals present at the session said the government is trying its best to promote a plant-based diet, but the major hurdle is the behavioural change among the citizens.

One of the members of DRZT, Khenpo Jamyang Choki Gyatsho, said, “Our organisation doesn’t have the right to tell people not to eat meat, but it’s up to the individual.”

Khenpo Jamyang Choki Gyatsho, however, said that citizens should think practically from the country’s economic point of view and health aspects. “Bhutan imports lots of meat products from India, which is not good for the economy.”

A participant said that switching to plant-based food brought positive changes in his life. “It was challenging in the beginning, but it reduced my body weight, I feel lighter, and became more focused.”

Citing an example, he said a kilogram of pork in the capital costs Nu 600, which could otherwise be used to purchase different types of vegetables that are far cheaper.

Human-wildlife conflict has been one of the biggest problems facing the country. As the human population grows and developmental activities progress, encounters between humans and wildlife have become more frequent and intense. This is particularly concerning given that only seven percent of our land is arable.

Farmers, the backbone of our agricultural economy, are increasingly leaving their land fallow and migrating to urban areas, abandoning traditional livelihoods due to the persistent threat of wildlife intrusion. However, the innovative approaches adopted by the farming community in Samrang in Samdrupjongkhar offer hope and a template for sustainable coexistence.

In Samrang, farmers have taken proactive steps to address the menace of elephants encroaching on their fields. Recognising that these majestic creatures were driven to human settlements in search of food and water, the community embarked on a mission to restore the natural habitats of elephants. This involved constructing waterholes within the forests, establishing saltlick sites, and planting fodder grass to provide sufficient food sources for the elephants away from human habitation.

These efforts have been remarkably successful in reducing the frequency of elephant raids on farmlands, allowing the farmers to cultivate their lands peacefully.

This approach highlights the importance of community-led solutions in tackling human-wildlife conflict. Local communities possess an intrinsic understanding of their environment and are perhaps best positioned to develop and implement strategies that ensure the safety and well-being of both humans and wildlife. The success in Samrang demonstrates that empowering communities to take charge of conservation efforts can lead to innovative and effective outcomes.

The proactive measures taken by the Samrang community also highlight the significance of addressing the root causes of human-wildlife conflict. By ensuring that elephants have access to natural resources within their habitats, the community has successfully diverted them away from agricultural lands. This not only protects the livelihoods of farmers but also contributes to the conservation of elephants, reinforcing our commitment to preserving our rich biodiversity.

Adopting community solutions is not only a pragmatic approach but also a sustainable one. By fostering a culture of coexistence and mutual respect, we can ensure the well-being of our communities and the survival of our wildlife.

Samrang’s initiative is a proof of the power of collective action. When communities come together with a shared vision, they can overcome even the most daunting challenges. The collaborative efforts in Samrang have transformed the area into what could be called a model of coexistence, where humans and elephants live side by side in harmony. This success story should inspire other communities across the country to explore similar strategies tailored to their unique circumstances.

Can NFT tradings be a sustainable source of conservation funds?

Yangyel Lhaden

In a first of its kind for Bhutan, the digital art titled ‘The Tiger in the Snow’ has been auctioned on the blockchain for 1.889 Ether (ETH), which is equivalent to about USD 6,000.

ETH is the crypto currency of the Ethereum blockchain, used to pay for transactions, computational services, and smart contracts within the network.

The ‘The Tiger in the Snow’ artwork, a watercolour painting created by a senior artist from VAST Bhutan, draws inspiration from a real tiger captured on camera during the second National Tiger Survey 2022-23.

The painting depicts a tiger in the snow with the iconic Taktsang monastery in the background. The artwork symbolises the tiger’s habitat shifting to higher altitudes, possibly due to climate change and human activities.

The sale of the digital collectible occurred at the tiger art auction and exhibition at the Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscape (SFTL) Conference, which was held in Paro in April 22-23 this year to raise USD one billion fund for tiger conservation.

A digital collectible is a unique, scarce digital asset traded on blockchain platforms as non-fungible tokens (NFT), valued by collectors. An NFT is a unique digital asset that represents ownership or proof of authenticity of a specific item or piece of content.

The digital artwork was minted – the process of creating a NFTon the Ethereum blockchain – on OpenSea, a decentralised marketplace for buying, selling, and trading NFTs and digital assets. Druk Holding and Investments provided the technical support to convert the art into NFT and register on OpenSea.

The process of creating and listing the digital art on OpenSea for trading was done at the cost ofabout USD 400. Whenever the digital collectible is resold on OpenSea, the original creator also receives a royalty ranging from five to ten percent. The royalty from the sale of ‘The Tiger in the Snow’ digital art piece will be split between the Department of Forests and Park Services and the artist at 60:40 ratio.

The art auction, including the sale of NFTs, during the SFTL raised Nu. 737,644 for tiger conservation. The auction was organised by conservation agencies such as Bhutan for Life, Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation, Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan Foundation and WWF Bhutan.

NFTs are gaining popularity globally for conservation fundraising through digital art collectibles. For example, The Ocean Foundation launched ‘CryptoCorals’ to fund coral reef restoration, and Rainforest Foundation US auctioned NFTs for rainforest conservation projects.

“Considering the price of the digital art sold during the recent Tiger Conference, NFTs show promise for conservation fundraising,” Kuenzang Tobgay from Bhutan For Life said.

However, he highlighted the current sustainability risks in blockchain trading, pointing out the carbon footprint from high electricity consumption due to substantial computational needs. He said that some studies suggest that the electricity consumed outweighs the benefits from NFT trades.

“As a global biodiversity hotspot, Bhutan could mint exotic species like tigers, snow leopards, golden langurs, black-necked cranes, white-bellied herons, and more on NFT platforms to fund conservation initiatives. But an in-depth study needs to be carried out before we venture further into NFTs,” Kuenzang Tobgay said.

Lhakpa Quendren

Sarpang—Seven households in Dangling chiwog of Umling, Sarpang, are preparing to resume paddy cultivation on their 15-acre wetland that they had left fallow last year.

This was made possible after the Umling gewog administration temporarily restored the 2.5-kilometer irrigation canal from the Langkarchhu. Although growing paddy seedling was delayed, it will be ready for cultivation in about two weeks, according to Dangling Tshogpa, Samdrup.

“Those unable to cultivate paddy will grow dal (pulse). Those who have no option to grow dal or paddy should clear bushes on their fallow lands twice a year to prevent human-wildlife wild conflicts,” he added.

Landowners living abroad or outside the dzongkhag, unable to come to clear their land, will not be issued clearance for online payment of land tax. However, the gewog will arrange workers if daily wages are paid to clear their land.

With an increasing number of farmers giving up paddy cultivation, over 1,000 acres of wetland currently remain fallow in the gewog. This has prompted the gewog administration to initiate efforts to revive the wetland.

Umling Gup Sangay Tenzin said that about 35 households have resumed paddy cultivation this season. “More fallow land could be revived if we had reliable water sources and proper irrigation canals.”

With an annual “disaster budget” between Nu 100,000 and Nu 150,000 available, he said that the gewog administration assured support to encourage farmers to cultivate paddy.

Sharing his concerns over the declining paddy cultivation, Sangay Tenzin said, “We visited each chiwog to discuss the risks associated with abandoning paddy cultivation.”

However, challenges remain with unreliable water sources, lack of irrigation canals, labour shortages, and threats from wild animals to crops. Some farmers rely on seasonal water sources that dry up during the harvest season, while others have lost their irrigation canals to the monsoon.

Tshering Lhamo, 41, said that some neighbours are resuming paddy cultivation despite being discouraged by wild animals. “We are planning to grow dal and oilseed crops for oil refining, as they do not attract wild animals.”

In Gadhen chiwog, six households resumed paddy cultivation despite their newly renovated irrigation canal developing cracks. This chiwog, which has about 80 households, has the most productive rice fields in the gewog.

This irrigation canal, if made reliable, will benefit both local farmers and Indian farmers residing in Baghmara and nearby villages. Indian villagers assist annually in maintaining the canal.

Nima Yoezor from Gadhen said that predation of crops discouraged farmers from cultivating paddy. “The gewog helped with irrigation, but the threat to crops from elephants is the main reason we are unable to continue cultivation.”

Meanwhile, labour shortage is an added burden with many migrating to urban areas or abroad. “Imported rice is much cheaper than growing our own with daily wages as high as Nu 1,000 a day,” said Nima Yoezer.

The danger lurks because pork is among the most consumed meat in Bhutan

Chencho Dema 

An outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) has been confirmed in Punakha and Wangdue. The disease was confirmed in a commercial piggery farm in Zawakha, Daga Dewog, Wangdue, on June 28, and at Tshether Farm in Sirigang in Kabjisa Gewog, Punakha, on June 29.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MoAL) attributed the outbreak to movement of infected pigs and contaminated pig products and practice of swill feeding.

ASF is a highly lethal disease that affects pigs, often leading to disruptions in the livelihoods of pig farmers.

On June 28, the samples were sent to National Centre for Animal Health (NCAH) in Serbithang and the laboratory tests was conducted on June 29. The same day, the result confirmed the outbreak of African Swine Fever.

As per the public notification, the general public are advised to refrain from illegal import of pig and pig products and report if seen someone making illegal import to Bhutan Food and Drug Authority.

Dr Jamtsho said: “While the source of the outbreak has not yet been definitively ascertained, based on preliminary investigations, there are two potential causes.

“These include unrestricted movement of people in and out of the farm, as well as non-compliance with biosecurity measures. It was reported that the owner had been feeding the pigs and piglets with leftover kitchen waste from the labourers’ camp of the Punatshangchhu II.”

“Despite repeated advocacy and awareness to the pig farmers to improve pig farm biosecurity, including better farm management and pig husbandry practices, manfarms where outbreaks occurred had poor farm biosecurity,” a health official said.

The meat vans plying through the Tsirang-Wangdue-Gasa highways are asked to strictly avoid stopping at the areas of outbreaks to prevent contamination and spread of the virus to other areas.

Any person found not adhering to the public notification, the notice warns, shall be dealt in accordance with the laws.

Starting today, the dzongkhag, along with concerned stakeholders, has decided to implement stringent measures as per the National African Swine Fever Prevention and Control Plan 2021 (NASFPCP 2021) to prevent further spread of the disease.

An expert disease investigation team from NCAH will conduct the detailed investigation today to trace the source of the outbreak and do risk assessment.

In Wangdue there are 53 commercial, semi-commercial and subsistence farms with a swine population of more than 1,000.

༉ ནང་སྲིད་ལྷན་ཁག་འོག་གི་ སྲོལ་འཛིན་དང་རྫོང་ཁ་གོང་འཕེལ་ལས་ཁུངས་ཀྱིས་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ནང་འཁོད་ཀྱི་ སློབ་ཕྲུག་ཚུ་ རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་སྐད་ཡིག་རྫོང་ཁ་ལུ་ དང་འདོད་བསྐྱེད་བཅུག་ནི་དང་ འབྲི་ལྷག་ཤེས་ཡོན་ལྷབ་སྦྱང་གི་ ལྷན་ཐབས་ལུ་དམིགས་ཏེ་ འབྲིང་རིམ་སློབ་གྲྭ་གོང་མ་དང་ འབྲིང་རིམ་སློབ་གྲྭ་བར་མ་བསྡོམས་༤༩༧ ལུ་ སྤྱི་ཟླ་༧ པའི་ཚེས་༦ ལས་འགོ་བཙུགས་ བདུན་རིམ་བཞིན་དུ་ རྫོང་ཁ་PDFའདྲ་རེ་ རིན་མེད་སྟོང་པར་ བཀྲམ་སྤེལ་འབད་ནི་ཨིནམ་ད་ དེ་བཟུམ་སྦེ་ ལས་ཁུངས་ཀྱི་ མ་དངུལ་གྲོགས་རམ་ཐོག་ལས་ རྫོང་ཁ་ཀུན་གསལ་གྱི་ ཚོས་གཞི་ལྡན་པའི་ ཤོག་ལེབ་༡ ནང་ སློབ་ཕྲུག་ཚུ་གི་ ཤེས་ཡོན་རྒྱ་སྐྱེད་འབད་ནི་ལུ་ཕན་པའི་ ཆོས་དང་ལམ་སྲོལ་ སྐད་ཡིག་དང་རིག་གཞུང་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ ནང་དོན་ཁག་ཆེ་ཏོག་ཏོ་ཚུ་ རྩོམ་འབྲི་འབད་ཞིནམ་ལས་ བཀོད་ནི་ཨིན། སློབ་གྲྭའི་དབང་འཛིན་ཚུ་ལུ་ ཁོང་རའི་ ཡོངས་འབྲེལ་འཆར་སྒོ་ཐོག་ལས་ རྫོང་ཁ་PDFའདྲ་རེ་ བསྐྱལ་གཏང་ནི་ཨིནམ་ལས་ དབང་འཛིན་ཚུ་གིས་འབད་རུང་ སློབ་ཕྲུག་ཚུ་གི་ འབྲི་ལྷག་ཤེས་ཡོན་ཡར་དྲག་གཏང་ནི་ལུ་ གཙོ་བོར་བཟུང་སྟེ་ འདྲ་པར་བཏབ་ཞིནམ་ལས་ སློབ་གྲྭའི་དཔེ་མཛོད་ཁང་ནང་ བཞག་དགོཔ་མ་ཚད་ སློབ་ཕྲུག་ཚུ་གིས་འབད་རུང་ སྣང་མེད་སྐྱུར་མ་བཞག་པར་ གོ་སྐབས་བཟང་པོ་འདི་ ལེན་དགོཔ་ཁག་ཆེ་ཟེར་ ཞུ་ནི་ཨིན།

སྤྱི་ཟླ་༧ པའི་ཚེས་༡ ལས་འགོ་བཙུགས་ཏེ་ རྫོང་ཁ་ཀུན་གསལ་གྱི་ཐོན་རིམ་ བདུན་ཕྲག་༡ ནང་ ཚར་༢ འབད་མི་དེ་ ཚར་རེ་སྦེ་ རེས་གཟའ་ཉི་མ་ལུ་རྐྱངམ་གཅིག་ པར་སྐྲུན་འབད་ནི་ཨིན་རུང་ ཉིན་བསྟར་བཞིན་དུ་ ཡོངས་འབྲེལ་འཆར་སྒོ་ https://kuenselonline.com ནང་ གནས་ཚུལ་དང་ གསལ་བསྒྲགས་ཚུ་ ཨ་རྟག་ཧར་ལུགས་སྦེ་ར་ གསལ་བཀོད་འབད་ནི་ཨིནམ་ལས་ འབྲེལ་ཡོད་ཡོངས་ཀྱིས་ ཐུགས་ཁར་བསྣམ་གནང་། ལོ་༡ གི་རིང་ རྫོང་ཁ་ཀུན་གསལ་མཁོ་མངགས་འབད་མི་ཚུ་གི་དོན་ལུ་ དུས་ཡུན་ཟླཝ་༦ ཕར་འགྱངས་འབད་ནི་ཨིན་ཟེར་ ཐུགས་ཀྱི་དྲན་གསོ་ཞུཝ་ཨིན།

Thukten Zangpo

The government will launch a pilot crop and livestock insurance scheme before implementing nationwide, said the secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Thinley Namgyel, during the Meet-the-Press session on June 28.

Acknowledging the scheme’s importance, he said that the discussion was underway regarding affordability for farmers and potential government subsidies.

The pilot phase would  target specific crops (paddy, maize, potatoes, and oranges) and livestock (cattle, pigs, and poultry), Thinley Namgyel said.

The insurance, he added, will consider not only climate-related losses but also losses caused from pests and diseases, among others.

“Initial discussions with the two insurance companies—Bhutan Insurance Limited and Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan Limited suggest a premium of 5.8 percent for crops and varying rates for livestock,” Thinley Namgyel said. “Cattle premiums would be 15 percent in the first year, reducing to 10 percent thereafter. Pigs and poultry would have a premium of 10 percent.”

He said the assumption was that not all farmers would participate. “Even with 50 percent participation, the annual premium would be Nu 2.8 billion if solely borne by farmers.”

He said that the government was exploring cost-sharing models, with options ranging from a 50-50 split with farmers. “In this scenario, the government will have to bear Nu 1.4 billion annually.”

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said that if the government was to pay 100 percent premium, Nu 2.8 billion was a significant sum considering the country’s current revenue. “A proper study and pilot project are crucial to ensure a scheme that benefits all stakeholders.”

He said that most of the crop loss and damage are mostly faced by low-income farmers who might struggle to afford premiums and the government would look into  how they can be included in the scheme.

Recently, the National Assembly passed the motion to establish a crop and livestock compensation trust fund.

During the Parliament session, Agriculture Minister Younten Phuntsho said that the government had developed an insurance scheme to be presented to the Parliament and substantial funds were allocated to the agriculture and livestock sectors in the 13th Plan.

He expressed concerns over the budgetary implications, stating that the proposed costs exceed current allocations.

The House directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to submit its implementation report in the next Parliament session.

Chencho Dema

Punakha—All scattered around the park, Parents and guardians keep a watchful eye on their children, their faces reflecting the joy and contentment of a peaceful weekend outing at the recreational park in Khuruthang town, Punakha.

The park, the only recreational space in the area, has been a long-awaited retreat for families. It is equipped with brightly colored play structures like slides, a climbing frame and a multi play station.

Recently reopened after extensive renovations starting in May last year, the park, which covers 1.4 acres, now boasts new facilities and a renovated open gym.

The park and the open gym, built at a cost of Nu 2.6 million,  was never renovated after it was inaugurated in 2015. All it had , before the renovation, was  twisted slide, two swings, and a nonfunctional seesaw with a damaged open gym on the side.

Four new facilities, including a rope climber, two sets of seesaws, two sets of multi-play station, and two additional swings were added. The central area has two oval-shaped gazebos for parents to relax.

The 308-meter perimeter of the playground is enclosed with chain-link fencing and a secure gate, enhancing safety by preventing children from wandering off. This provides parents with peace of mind regarding their children’s safety while they play.

While most parents expressed their joy and satisfaction with the new amenities, a few suggested adding more equipment to avoid long waits and disputes among the children.

A mother of two shared her experience, noting that the park is crowded on weekends with children eager to play, sometimes leading to minor scuffles over turns.

A 45-year-old father, enjoying the park with his daughter, appreciated the renovations but agreed that additional facilities would further enhance the experience for the increasing number of visitors.

He said, “With the increasing number of children coming to the park, especially in the evenings and on weekends, I feel that if the concerned authorities could add a few more facilities, it would be beneficial. The park is spacious enough to accommodate additional amenities.”

Tobgay, an engineer at the Khuruthang Regional Engineering Cluster said the Dzongkhag acknowledges the importance of the recreational facility as it is the only one in the vicinity. The renovation cost Nu 3 million.

More facilities like additional toilets and handwashing facilities, waste bins, and an effective operation and management system are planned.

Thinley Namgay 

About 150 participants from Thimphu are attending ongoing programmes related to culture and tradition being conducted by the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development (DCDD) at the National Library and Archives in Kawangjangsa, Thimphu.

The majority of the participants are students.

The event began on June 29 and will end on July 14.

Participants learn traditional calligraphy, art, dance, and music.

The number of participants is expected to increase as there is no limitation.

The programmes are offered free of charge.

The current programme is part of DCDD’s activities in the 13th Plan to impart knowledge on calligraphy, art, dance, and music to youth who are the custodians for protecting and promoting culture and tradition in the future.

The students are expected to teach other students in schools after the event. The programme would also help students to do their Dzongkha assignments.

As part of this event, DCDD also conducts a book fair to provide an opportunity for Bhutanese writers to sell or introduce their books to the participants.

The books can be either in Dzongkha or English. The book fair is intended to foster reading habits among youth and encourage local writers.

One of the participants said the event would meaningfully engage students amid growing concerns among parents and society about youth spending most of their time on mobile phones.

Participants also said that such programmes helped youth write and communicate in Dzongkha.

DCDD’s Deputy Chief Librarian, Yeshi Lhendup, said the traditional arts and music coaching was started by the Royal Academy of Performing Arts three years ago during students’ summer vacation.

He said the book fair, calligraphy, and lessons are the maiden events of DCDD.

The press release from DCDD stated that the office aims to ensure that the National Library and Archives at Kawangjangsa will serve as a place where youth can learn anything related to culture and tradition for free.

Sherab Lhamo

Wangdrak Dorji, 22, who recently won the Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) Hackathon said that he had more to offer.

His NFT featured an outline drawing of sitting Zhabdrung with a desho background.

Wangdrak said: “As you buy more from me, you will gradually see a mandala, with more layers and details. When someone buys this NFT for the first time he or she will only see Zhabdrung. Slowly, when they keep buying and compiling, it will unwrap like a gift.”

The idea he said, was to engage the NFT collectors.

The 16 participants of the hackathon, held on June 10, created an NFT based on the 18th-century Zhabdrung Phuensum Tshogpa Thangka.

NFTs are digital assets stored on the blockchain. Unlike cryptocurrencies that are fungible and interchangeable, NFTs are distinct and irreplaceable.

The top three NFTs will be promoted and incorporated into the museum’s NFT collection.

Trishan Sharma, the first runner up, created a 3D digital art of lhakang with full-sized thangka displayed inside, with palm trees near the lhakhang.

Tashi Wangchuk, the winner of third prize, designed a digital art of Zhabdrung with two dragons on the top corners of both sides.

Wangdrak Dorji  received Staycation at Postcard Dewa for two nights sponsored by Postcard Dewa; first runners up received DELL Laptop sponsored by Dheyma Global Ventures Pvt. Ltd.; and third prize winner received a Samsung mobile phone sponsored by Sangsel Eco Trade & Environmental services.

Another participant, Jigme Dorji Tobgyal, 19, created an NFT of Zhabdrung sitting on grass. He said that the idea of Zhabdrung sitting in nature was to show the connection of humanity with nature.

The hackathon was aimed at integrating Bhutan’s rich cultural heritage with cutting-edge blockchain technology to create Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) that can be appreciated worldwide.

Wangdrak Dorji said that he learnt about NFTs and the business side of cryptocurrency, specifically branding, through a hackathon.

The inspiration for his digital arts came from thangkas and religious paintings he did for his friends.

Chanel Lee, one of the trainers, said NFT technology could become a bridge between Bhutan’s artistic heritage and a global audience of collectors. She highlighted the potential of smart contracts, particularly innovative applications such as the winner’s dynamic NFT.

“This will definitely grab the attention of others creating new things in this space,” said Chanel. “By using NFTs to prove ownership of artwork and artefacts, we can ensure their origin and authenticity for centuries to come. As once something’s on the blockchain, it’s there forever and you cannot delete it. And that permanence aligns perfectly with Bhutan’s cultural values.”

An official from the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development (DCDD) said the hackathon was part of Bhutan’s commitment to embracing digital transformation while safeguarding its cultural legacy.

The foundation for the unique collection of digital assets will be based on over 6,000 museum artefacts from different museums in the country, including National Museum of Bhutan in Paro, the Royal Heritage Museum in Trongsa, and the Textile Museum in Thimphu.

Lhakpa Quendren

Sarpang—Kishor Bhattarai, a 40-year-old farmer in Lhaptshakha, Singye gewog, joins his neighbours almost every day in repairing the chain-link fencing that is frequently damaged by elephants.

It is cultivation time in the gewog and farmers are busy and worried.  If the elephants are destroying the fencing, wild pigs can easily enter through the irrigation canals that pass through the fields.

Despite installing chain-link fencings a year ago, farmers said a  sustainable solution to human-wildlife conflict remains a dream. The seven-kilometer chain-link fence, which encloses 700 acres of wetland, benefits 60 households in two chiwogs. However, wildlife issues have forced some farmers to leave their fields fallow.

Elephants damaged chain-link fencing

The wetland, according to farmers, is the most productive rice field in the gewog, which could produce over 12 metric tonnes of rice. It has now dropped to about seven metric tonnes due to damage by wild animals.

“We had plans to fully cultivate the entire wetland, including the fallow lands,” said Kishor Bhattarai. “Some have already abandoned their fields, while others are considering giving up next year if the same issues continue.”

Elephants and wild pigs have damaged banana trees, maize, cassava and areca nuts. Elephants also damaged a house in their village, causing fear among the farmers about potential threats to their lives.

Another farmer, Ngagyel Tenzin, 54, said wild pigs, which initially attacked bananas, have now started eating areca nuts. “As we find more solutions, wild animals seem to become more aggressive.”

“Our efforts are going to waste,” said 66-year-old Lal Bahadur Gurung, who recently lost his bananas and cassava fields to a herd of wandering elephants.

What can be done?

While farmers remain grateful to the government for finding alternative solutions, existing approaches have not adequately managed the challenges posed by wildlife.

“We still have to guard the crops at night. If it is elephants and wild pigs at night, it is peacocks in the morning. Barbed wire fencing could prevent wild elephants from entering the fields,” said 37-year-old Hari Bhattarai.

Farmers suggest that enclosing the entire area with electric wire would be beneficial. They have used the remaining materials of the solar fence, combining them with electric wire outside the chain-link fence.

However, this effort remains unfinished due to a shortage of wire. The gewog administration attributed budget constraints for not purchasing an energizer battery for the electric fence, leaving it without power, according to the locals.

Singye Gup, Jigme, said that while the gewog administration has not received any proposals from the beneficiaries, it is a shared responsibility. “When everything is provided by the government, there is a lack of ownership.”

“The gewog provided wires and machines, but beneficiaries are responsible for repair costs in case of damage caused by thunderstorms or other incidents,” he said. However, the lack of clear rules and regulations hinders the implementation.

Gup Jigme said that the main reason for the ineffectiveness could be beneficiaries adopting their own chain-link fencing design instead of following the ministry’s design, which includes barbed wire on the top.

Lhaptshakha and Ngenyul Chiwogs in Singye Gewog, Sarpang, received a government-supported chain-link fence project in March 2023. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock supported the fencing materials, costing Nu 11.1 million.

The recent decision by the Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) to lift the moratorium on housing loans is a measured step towards revitalising the construction sector. This move comes at a time when a wide range of strategic measures is being put in place to support the post-pandemic economic recovery.

The reopening of the housing loans, although only for residential and commercial constructions for now, is an early indication of more relaxations to come. Loans for housing and hotel constructions were suspended on June 8 last year primarily to manage the dwindling foreign currency reserve, high credit concentration, and risk exposure in these sectors.

The lifting of the moratorium on housing loans will certainly stimulate construction activities, leading to increased demand for materials, labour, and ancillary services.

However, it is critical to ensure that the reopening of the loans does not result in excessive outflow of foreign currency, leading us back to square one. The government must regulate imports of construction materials by facilitating access to and purchase of locally produced construction materials wherever possible. This would have a dual impact of reducing imports while supporting domestic industries that manufacture a range of construction materials.

The RMA has also revised the Prudential Regulations 2017 for risk-weight requirement on capital accumulation. One of the key changes is the provision of applying 150 percent risk-weight to loan exposures exceeding 30 percent of a financial institution’s total loan portfolio. This measure has been put in place to ensure that financial institutions maintain a diversified portfolio while reducing exposure and high credit concentration in any single sector.

At Nu 64.5 billion, the housing sector accounted for the highest credit allocation as of February this year, with an average 31 percent loan exposure for most financial institutions. The reopening of the housing loan can lead to further escalation of credit concentration in this sector. Financial institutions would have to be cautious, and implement robust risk assessment frameworks to evaluate the viability of construction projects, ensuring that loans are extended to sustainable ventures.

Given the current market dynamics of the hospitality and tourism sectors, the RMA has decided to continue the moratorium on loans for hotel constructions. This is a strategic decision. According to the Department of Tourism, there are 395 certified hotels in the country, excluding a number of homestays.

In wake of the slow recovery of tourism business and due to the seasonal nature of the sector, hotels are grappling with low occupancy rates. Amidst cutthroat competition, hotels are resorting to price cuts to attract more guests. More hotels in the already saturated market could exacerbate these challenges, increasing the financial risks for both hotels and financial institutions.

While measures are being implemented to boost tourism, drive year-round arrivals, and address seasonality issues, the central bank and financial institutions will have to keep a keen eye on how business picks up before resuming lending to this sector.

Samrang gewog transforms into elephant-friendly village

Neten Dorji 

Samrang—Not long ago, farmers in Samrang, Samdrupjongkhar, used to stay up all night, lit fires or shout at the top of their voice to scare away elephants threatening their crops.

Those difficult days are gone now. Farmers have found a solution to live with the pachyderms.

If solar-powered fences are helping them, restoring elephant habitats, constructing waterholes in the forest, saltlick sites, and fodder grass for the elephants to feed on had helped keep the elephants at bay.

A tree house to guard to watch for elephant at night

Following the initiative, Samrang has turned into, what villagers call, an ‘elephant friendly village’. The gewog, located near the Indo-Bhutan border, is known to be the capital of elephants, indicating the risk to crops and even lives.

Like in many rural settlements in southern Bhutan, human-wildlife conflict, especially wild elephant attacks, were rampant in Samrang. Before the local solutions to the problem,  elephants often came into the village, damaged homes and crops and even attacked people. Residents recall spending sleepless nights guarding their crops and homes until the government and Jomotshangkha Wildlife Sanctuary supported the village with approximately 10 kilometers of electric-fencing.

Bhata Bdr Rai, 72,  recalls how elephants encroached on his fields and damaged the entire crops in a single night. “Scared that the elephants would cause serious damages to property and lives, people abandoned their houses and land,” he said, adding that no technique helped to keep the wild animals at bay.

Another farmer, Pithy Man Rai, said that with the help of the electric fencing, the elephants slowly stopped encroaching into their fields. The harvest increased as more land was reclaimed.

He said that the population also grew in the following years, with more people getting into mass areca nut plantation and farming.

“After the installation of solar fencing, we could grow more crops. Farming groups are also on the rise as they can reap the benefits of their hard work.”

Farmers said that even with forest officials, police and villagers, it was difficult to ward off the elephants in the past.

Farmers believe that poaching and destruction of elephant habitat across the border force the animals to seek refuge in their land. The elephants came in herds, sometimes six in a herd.

Building barriers such as electric fences, monitoring the elephants to understand their habitat preferences and migratory habits, or implementing habitat improvement initiatives such as digging waterholes and enriching fodder have been effective in the gewog.

Samrang Gup Jigme Singye Drukpa said electric fencing is effective in the gewog and most of the people started semi commercial farming.

“The temporary sheds have been replaced with concrete structures, and the population in the gewog has also grown, with more people engaging in ginger plantations.”

༉ ཉིནམ་༩ འི་རིང་ ཐིམ་ཕུག་འཇིགས་མེད་རྡོ་རྗེ་དབང་ཕྱུག་རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་རྗེས་དྲན་དགོངས་རྫོགས་མཆོད་རྟེན་ནང་སྦེ་ གྲུབ་དབང་སྟངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་གིས་ དབུ་བཞུགས་ཐོག་ དགེ་འདུནམ་༡༠༠ དེ་ཅིག་གིས་ གཡང་སྒྲུབ་ཆོ་ག་གནང་མི་དེ་ ད་རིས་ཀ་ལི་ཞི་ཁྲོའི་ཆོ་ག་གནང་སྟེ་ འགྲོལ་གནང་ནི་ཨིན་པས།
ཆོས་སྡེ་གོངམ་མདོ་སྔགས་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དགའ་ཚལ་དགོན་སྡེའི་ བླམ་འཕྲིན་ལས་ནོར་བུ་གིས་ སླབ་མིའི་ནང་ སྤྱི་ལོ་༢༠༡༨ དེ་ཅིག་ཁར་ དགོན་སྡེའི་ལོ་བསྟར་ཞལ་འཛོམས་ནང་ རྗེས་དྲན་མཆོད་རྟེན་ནང་སྦེ་ ལས་རིམ་ཅིག་འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་དགོ་པའི་གྲོས་ཐག་བཅད་པའི་ཤུལ་ ནད་ཡམས་ཀོ་བིཌ་༡༩ ཐོན་མི་གིས་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་མ་ཚུགསཔ་མ་ཚད་ སྒྲུབ་སྡེའི་སྒྲུབ་ཆེན་དང་ བཤད་གྲྭའི་སློབ་དུས་ལ་སོགས་པ་ཐོན་ཏེ་ ལོ་༤ ཚུན་ ཕར་འགྱངས་འབད་དགོཔ་བྱུང་པའི་ཤུལ་ དུས་ཅི་ གོ་སྐབས་ལེན་ཚུགས་ཅི་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
དེ་སྦེ་ ལས་རིམ་འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་དགོ་མི་དེ་ཡང་ སྤྱིར་འཛམ་གླིང་ཞི་བདེ་དང་ བསྟན་པ་དང་ འགྲོ་བའི་དོན་དུ་ཨིནམ་མ་ཚད་ ནད་ཡམས་ཀོ་བིཌ་༢༩ ལུ་བརྟེན་ དཔལ་འབྱོར་གྱི་དཀའ་ངལ་རྒྱ་ཆེ་དྲགས་སྦེ་བྱུང་སྲིད་དེ་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་དང་ མི་སེར་ཚུ་ལུ་ དཀའ་ངལ་ཐོན་པའི་བསྒང་ལས་ ག་ར་ལུ་ སྐྱིད་སྡུད་ཕོག་དོ་ཡོདཔ་ལས་ ལོག་དཔལ་འབྱོར་གོང་འཕེལ་དང་ ལྕོགས་གྲུབ་ཅན་བཟོ་ནི་ལུ་ ཆོས་ཕྱོགས་ཀྱི་ཁ་ཐུག་ལས་ གཙོ་བོར་གཡང་སྒྲུབ་ཀྱི་ཆོ་ག་གནང་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་ཟེར་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་མི་ བླམ་གིས་བཤདཔ་ཨིན་པས།
རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ཀྱི་དཔལ་འབྱོར་གོང་འཕེལ་དང་ སྦྱིན་བདག་འབྱོར་པ་ཅན་ཚུ་ དཔལ་འབྱོར་ཡར་རྒྱས་བཏགས་ དེ་ལས་ ཆོས་བསྒོར་བཞུགས་མི་ཚུ་ལུ་ སྦྱིན་བདག་མཛད་དེ་ རྟེན་ཅིང་འབྲེལ་བའི་ངང་ལས་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་སྒྲིང་སྒྲི་འགྱོ་ནི་ཨིན་རུང་ ཏི་རུ་བསགས་ནིའི་ལཱ་ར་མ་འབད་བར་ ག་དེ་སྦེ་ ཕྱུགཔོ་འགྱོ་ནི་ཟེར་ རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ སྤྲུལ་སྐུ་གིས་ གསུངས་ཡོད་མི་གུ་ གཞིར་བཞག་སྟེ་ ད་རིས་ གཡང་སྒྲུབ་གནང་དོ་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
གཡང་སྒྲུབ་ཀྱི་གསུང་ཆོག་དེ་ཡང་ རྫོང་ཁག་དང་ དགོན་སྡེ་ཚུ་ནང་མེན་པར་ ཐིམ་ཕུག་དགོངས་རྫོགས་མཆོད་རྟེན་ནང་སྦེ་ གནང་མི་དེ་ཡང་ རྫོང་ཁག་༢༠ གི་མི་སེར་ཆེ་འབྲིང་ཆུང་༣ ག་ར་ འཛོམས་སའི་ལྟེ་བ་དང་ ག་ར་གིས་ ཐུགས་སྨོན་གནང་ནི་ དེ་ལས་ དད་པ་བསྐྱེད་དེ་ སྦྱིན་བདག་འབད་མི་ཡང་ འཐོན་སྲིད་ནི་ལུ་ གཞིར་བཞག་སྟེ་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་ཡོདཔ་ཨིན་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
དམིགས་བསལ་དུ་ དགོངས་རྫོགས་མཆོད་རྟེན་རྩ་བར་གནང་མི་དགོ་མི་དེ་ གྲྭ་ཚང་དང་ དགོན་སྡེ་ཁག་གི་བླམ་དང་ རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མང་ཧོད་རྫོགསཔ་ཅིག་གིས་ ཞབས་ཀྱི་བཅགས་ བྱིན་གྱིས་རློབས་གནང་པའི་ཁར་ སྨོན་ལམ་གང་ལྟར་ཐེག་པའི་ རྩ་ཅན་གྱི་མཆོད་རྟེན་ནང་ འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་ཡོདཔ་སྦེ་ཨིན་པས།
དམིགས་ཡུལ་གཞན་མི་དེ་ དབང་ཕྱུག་བརྒྱུད་འཛིན་གྱི་རིང་ལུགས་དེ་ མ་འགྱུར་བསྟན་པ་སྦེ་གནས་ཐབས་ལུ་ཨིནམ་ད་ དེ་ཡང་ དབང་ཕྱུག་བརྒྱུད་འཛིན་གྱི་རིང་ལུགས་གནས་པ་ཅིན་ མི་སེར་ག་ར་གི་སྐྱིད་སྡུག་གཟིགས་ནི་དང་ ཞི་བདེ་རང་བཞིན་གྱིས་འོང་མི་ལུ་བརྟེན་ཨིན་ཟེར་ བླམ་གིས་སླབ་ཨིན་པས།
དེ་བཟུམ་སྦེ་ བླམ་གིས་འབད་བ་ཅིན་ སྤྱི་ཟླ་༦ པའི་ཚེས་༢༡ ལས་ གཡང་སྒྲུབ་གནང་ནི་འགོ་བཙུགས་མི་ལུ་བརྟེན་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ཀྱི་ སློབ་གྲྭ་ཁག་གི་ སློབ་ཕྲུག་ཚུ་གི་ ལོ་ཕྱེད་ཆོས་རྒྱུགས་ཚུ་ འགོ་བཙུགས་ཡོདཔ་ལས་ སློབ་ཕྲུག་ཚུ་གིས་ ཆོས་རྒྱུགས་ཚུ་ནང་ འགྲུབ་འབྲས་ལེགས་འཐོན་དང་ བར་རྐྱེན་མི་འབྱུང་ནིའི་དོན་ལུ་ཡང་ དམིགས་གཏད་བསྐྱེད་དེ་ སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཉིནམ་ཕོག་མི་ལུ་བརྟེན་ རི་བོ་བསང་མཆོད་དང་ རླུང་རྟ་ གེ་སེར་གྱི་སྲོག་གྲུབ་ཆེན་པོ་ཚུ་གནང་ཡི་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
སྤྱི་ཟླ་༦ པའི་ཚེས་༢༣ ལས་༢༥ ཚུན་ ནོར་གྱི་བདག་པོ་ཨྱོན་ནོར་ལྷ་ལུ་ གསོལཝ་བཏབ་སྟེ་ གཡང་ཡོད་མི་ཚུ་ མི་ཉམས་ནི་དང་ གཡང་ཁུག་དེ་གིས་ ག་ར་ལུ་ ལེགས་ཤོམ་འོང་ཐབས་ལུ་ ཨྱོན་ནོར་ལྷའི་ཆོ་ག་གནང་ཡི་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
དེ་བཟུམ་སྦེ་ སྤྱི་ཟླ་༦ པའི་ཚེས་༢༦ ལས་༢༨ ཚུན་ བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་སའི་སྙིང་པོའི་གཡང་སྒྲུབ་དེ་ཡང་ མཆོད་རྟེན་ནང་ འགོ་ཐོག་འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་ཅི་ཟེར་ཨིནམ་ད་ མཇུག་ར་ ད་རིས་ རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་གིས་ ཀ་གླིང་ཞི་ཁྲོའི་ཆོ་ག་གནང་སྟེ་ གཤིན་པོའི་མིང་ཐོག་བཀོད་མི་ཚུ་ བསྲེག་སྦྱང་གནང་སྟེ་ ཉིནམ་༩ འི་ཆོ་ག་ལས་རིམ་དེ་ དེ་སྦེ་མཇུག་བསྡུཝ་ཨིན་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
ལྷག་པར་དུ་ ཕྱི་རུའི་ཆུ་ཚོད་༣ ལས་༥ ཚུན་ ཨྱོན་ནོར་ལྷའི་དབང་དང་ རྗེ་བཙུན་སྒྲོལ་མའི་དབང་ སའི་སྙིང་པོའི་དབང་ རྟ་བྱ་ཁྱུང་གསུམ་གྱི་དབང་ ཁ་ཙ་ ཚེ་དཔག་མེད་ཀྱི་དབང་ཚུ་ སོ་ཡི་ར་ དད་ཅན་སྟོང་ཕྲག་ལས་བཅད་མི་ཚུ་ལུ་ གནང་ཡོདཔ་བཞིན་དུ་ ད་རིས་ ཀ་གླིང་ཞི་ཁྲོའི་ཆོ་ག་གནང་སྟེ་ ཕྱི་རུ་ ཀ་གླིང་ཞི་ཁྲོའི་དབང་གནང་ནི་ཨིན་པས།
ད་རིས་ དེ་སྦེ་འགོ་འདྲེན་འཐབ་པའི་སྐབས་ ཉིན་བསྟར་བཞིན་དུ་ དད་ཅན་སྟོང་ཕྲག་ལས་བཅད་མི་ཚུ་གིས་ རིན་པོ་ཆེ་མཆོག་ལས་ དབང་ཚུ་ཞུ་བར་འོང་མི་དང་ གསོལཝ་ཚོགས་དྲང་མི་ཡང་ རྒྱུན་མ་ཆད་པར་འོང་མི་ དེ་ལས་ མི་སེར་ཚུ་གིས་ རེ་འདོད་ལས་འབད་རུང་ ལོ་བསྟར་བཞིན་དུ་ གཡང་སྒྲུབ་གནང་དགོ་པའི་ སྨོན་ལམ་བཏབ་མི་དང་ སླབ་མི་མང་རབ་ཅིག་ཐོན་མི་ལུ་བརྟེན་ རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལུ་ དགོངས་བཀུར་ཞུ་སྟེ་ དགོན་སྡེའི་ཞལ་འཛོམས་ནང་ གྲོས་འབུལ་སྦེ་བཙུགས་ཏེ་ གསུང་གྲོས་གནང་ནི་ཨིན་ཟེར་ བླམ་འཕྲིན་ལས་ནོར་བུ་གིས་ སླབ་ཨིན་པས།
རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་མངའ་འོག་ལུ་ སློབ་གྲྭ་དང་ བཤད་གྲྭ་ སྒྲུབ་གྲྭ་བཅས་ཏེ་ཡན་ལག་༡༠ དེ་ཅིག་ རྫོང་ཁག་གཞན་ཚུ་ནང་ཡོད་ཟེར་ཨིནམ་ད་ དེ་ཡང་ ཐིམ་ཕུག་རྟ་མགྲིན་གནས་དང་ བུམ་ཐང་གོང་བཀུར་དགོན་པའི་སྒྲུབ་གྲྭ་ནང་ མཚམས་པ་ཚུ་ཡོདཔ་མ་ཚད་ ལྷུན་རྩེ་ ཡ་མ་ལུང་ལུ་ མཚམས་ཁང་ཚུ་ནང་ མཚམས་བཅད་བཞུགས་མི་ཚུ་ཡོདཔ་ལས་ སྒྲུབ་གྲྭ་ཚུ་ཨིན་པས།
ཆོ་ག་གནང་ནི་འགོ་བཙུགས་ཞིནམ་ལས་ དེ་ཁར་ འོང་མི་ མི་སེར་ལ་ལོ་དད་པ་བསྐྱེད་དེ་ ཐུགས་སྨོན་གནང་པར་འོང་མི་དང་ ལས་རིམ་དེ་ལུ་བརྟེན་ ལ་ལོ་ཅིག་ གསོལཝ་ཚོགས་དྲང་མི་ ལ་ལོ་ཞལ་འདེབས་གནང་མི་ག་ར་ལུ་ བཀྲིན་དགའ་ཚོར་ཡོད་ཟེར་ སླབ་པའི་ཁར་ ལས་རིམ་དེ་ལུ་བརྟེན་ཏེ་ ད་རེས་ཀྱི་ གལ་རྐྱེན་བར་ཆད་སེལ་ ཕྱི་མའི་དོན་ལུ་ སྨོན་ལམ་བཏབ་ནི་ འདས་པའི་ཕམ་ཚུ་གི་དོན་ལུ་ སྨོན་ལམ་བཏབ་དགོཔ་སྦེ་ དྲན་བསྐུལ་འབད་ཡི་ཟེར་ཨིན་པས།
རང་གི་ལུས་ཁྲ་ཕུངམོ་ལུ་ ན་ནི་དང་ཚ་ནི་ ཤི་ནི་ཡོདཔ་ལས་ སྨོན་ལམ་བཏབ་ནི་དང་ མ་འོངས་པའི་ བུ་གཞི་ཚུ་གི་དོན་ལས་ སྨོན་ལམ་ལེགས་ཤོམ་བཏབ་དགོཔ་སྦེ་ དྲན་བསྐུལ་འབད་ཡོདཔ་བཞིན་དུ་ དད་ཅན་མི་སེར་སྟོང་ཕྲག་ལས་བཅད་མི་ཚུ་གིས་ སྨོན་ལམ་བཏབ་སྟེ་ ཕྱག་འཚལ་ སྙན་དར་ཚུ་ཕུལ་ཡོད་པའི་གནས་ཚུལ།

བཀྲིས་ཕུན་ཚོགས།