Our banks continue to make generous profits. Last year, BNB made Nu 310 million, a whopping 124% over the previous year, and BOB made Nu 168 (see Kuensel article). Not bad, considering the size of our economy. And, considering that they’ve been consistently declaring very attractive dividends. How do banks make money? Primarily by paying [...]
Wouldn’t you be happy if you could get your bank balance on your cell phone instead of having to go all the way to the bank? Wouldn’t it be good if you could instruct your bank not to honour a cheque that you’d issued mistakenly? Wouldn’t you like it if your bank informed you every [...]
Last year, Yangphel organized its biggest national archery tournament ever: 900 archers from all over Bhutan made150 teams and played a total of 180 matches over almost two months. The tournament commemorated a hundred years of monarchy and celebrated the coronation of our fifth Druk Gyalpo. Yesterday, Yangphel organized its annual internal archery tournament: 30 [...]
For over a decade now, every time I’ve fueled up in Phuentsholing, I’ve asked the petrol pump cashier to exchange various amounts of Ngultrums for Indian Rupees. I’ve had little problems changing small amounts, like Nu 500. But for larger amounts, say Nu 5000, it would sometimes get difficult to change my money. I’ve rarely [...]
I am delighted that the agriculture minister is traveling to our dzongkhags to discuss the 10th Plan and to identify viable products that our villagers can make (read Taking the 10th plan to the people). If villagers and local leaders are fully involved in the process and genuinely accept his idea, our agriculture minister could [...]
Here’s some good news from the RMA: our GDP, which is about Nu 59 billion, grew by 21.4% in 2007 and increased per capita GDP to US$ 1900. Not bad. We now have the highest GDP per person in South Asia. But what does this mean? Do you contribute your share to the GDP? If [...]
I’m humbled by the quality of the responses to my last entry – they are insightful, meaningful and educative. And every one of them shows deep concern over how difficult it is to do business in our country. But your responses scared me. I suddenly realized that Doing Business ranking for Bhutan may be terribly [...]
Everywhere I look I see people, thousands of them, buying and selling goods and services. It must be easy to do business in Thailand. In fact it is: Doing Business 2009 ranks Thailand 13th out of the 181 economies that the World Bank studied. Doing Business investigates government regulations that affect the following 10 aspects [...]
20th August 1987. It was getting dark. I’d reached my university in Pittsburgh earlier that day. I fought to control my jetlag and hide my culture shock. I was tired and hungry. So I made my way to a MacDonald’s and timidly requested for the set meal that offered a cheese burger, fries and coke. [...]
It happened again. Druknet was down this morning. It was down yesterday too. And I was frustrated – I couldn’t check my emails, or update this blog, or confirm my Druk Air reservations. But many others must have been even more frustrated. The sudden loss of connectivity with the rest of the world would have [...]
Tshering Tobgay is a Member of Parliament representing Sombaykha Constitutency in Haa. He is the Leader of the Opposition Party in the National Assembly of Bhutan.
Is ACC taking too long to start investigating the Gyelpozhing land case?
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