The country may have long passed critical juncture. This is the nation’s worry.

Jigme Wangchuk

Vision 2020:   Population: Bhutan has witnessed significant socioeconomic development since the advent of planned development in 1961. In other words, the country has undergone dramatic demographic changes in the last six decades. Growing birth rate—once a genuine concern—has fallen to a level that today calls for reversal to at least replacement level if Bhutan is to reap the benefits of sustainable population growth. Otherwise, Bhutan is poised to face serious social problems in the long run due to ageing population and shrinking workforce.

When “2020: A Vision for Peace, Prosperity and Happiness”, vision statement that would direct distinctive development path for the country “well into 21st century” was being drafted in the 1990s, Bhutan’s population growth rate of 3.1 percent annually was among the highest in the sub-region. It was then estimated that if left unchecked, the country’s population of 549,000 would double in about 23 years. The caution to the policy-makers came in the form of Royal Kasho: “You should promote and implement the family planning programme to ensure that our people are happy with maximum development in the country while at the same time controlling population explosion.”

The Vision thus set a target of achieving a 61 percent reduction in fertility in 15 years, replacement rate of 2 surviving children per women by the year 2012 and to progressively reduce the overall rate of population growth to 1.3 percent by the year 2017 by which time Bhutan population was estimated to number around 932,000. Bhutan’s current population is just 727,145 (according to Population and Housing Census of Bhutan 2017) while the country’s fertility rate—total number of children born or likely to be born to a woman in her lifetime—has fallen to 1.7 births per woman (some documents locate the rate at around 1.9 birth per woman).

In retrospect, without a population policy that the Vision proposed early on (Bhutan still does not have a population policy), interventions were guided by the document’s flawed fertility reduction targets.  According to UN Population Division, replacement-level fertility rate is 2.1 children per woman, which sustained over a long period, each generation will exactly replace itself. Bhutan’s birth rate of 1.7 is well below replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1. Not alone is the Vision document to blame, however. Over the years, there have been remarkable advances in technology, health and education. As a consequence, Bhutan has transitioned to low fertility, low mortality, and a low child dependency ratio, which means the country is nearing demographic transition.

While launching Population Projections Report early last year Lyonchhen Dr Lotay Tshering said that falling fertility rate was sombre news for Bhutan. Statisticians are of the view that Bhutan has gone way below the replacement level which does not portend well for the country. 

The success of family planning continues to be debated. 

But then, is Bhutan’s decreasing fertility rate all that bad and worrying?

Bhutan’s support ratio—the number of effective workers relative to effective consumers—is on the rise. That means per capita income is growing, opening the door to demographic dividend—potential impact on economic growth or shift in a population’s age structure to a larger working-age population (where productivity is highest relative to the young and elderly). According to a study by Asian Development Bank (ADB), Bhutan’s demographic dividend is expected to last until 2038 after which it will decline gradually. The question is what would happen when Bhutan’s population aged 65 and above reaches more than 15 percent by 2050, as projected by ADB, corresponding to support ratio rise.

Logically, as the share of ageing population increases relative to working-age population, old-age dependency will rise and drag the economic growth down. If Bhutan lags behind in preparing for population ageing with investment in human capital and growth-stimulating policies informed by a national population policy, repercussions of falling birth rate could be damaging. If Bhutan is to achieve “viable population for national security, identity, and socioeconomic development” and succeed in integrating “population dynamics in the formulation and implementation of development policies, plans and programmes”, the country may have long passed critical juncture.

This is the nation’s worry.

MB Subba

Vision 2020:  Privet Sector: Twenty years ago, Bhutan’s private sector was at an “embryonic stage.” It had to change to help the government diversify the economy base and help create jobs.

If the private sector should be the engine, impediments to its development and making the sector attractive to youth as a source of employment had to be removed.

The private sector has come a long way in terms of the overall growth and expansion over the last 20 years. But private players say that the sector is far from being a real engine of growth despite partial achievements in some of the goals.

The idea of transforming the private sector into the engine of growth involved ensuring that the private sector became a more active partner in the nation’s development.

But the domination of the economy by state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is a major impediment to the growth of the private sector. Private sector players feel that the expansion of the SOEs has shrunk the scope for the private sectors.

The government in the 11th Plan established six SOEs including the Royal Bhutan Helicopter Service, Royal Bhutan Lottery Ltd., Bhutan Duty Free Ltd., Agriculture Machinery Centre, Rural Enterprise Development Corporation and Green Bhutan Corporation among others.

The Construction Development Corporation Ltd. and the National Housing Development Corporation are among the biggest state-owned players competing with the private sector.

Owner of Rigsum Institute  and former vice president of Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Chen Chen Dorji, said that private sector players supported the idea of the sector being the engine of growth. But he said that lack of adequate policy support from the government has impeded the realisation of the vision.

“For instance, government-sponsored trainings are outsourced to India and other countries despite having local capacity. “We are far from becoming the engine of growth,” he said.

Private sector officials said that the sector could become the engine of growth only when the state’s dominance in the business sector ends.

To realise the vision in the private sector, the highest priority was supposed to be given to the simplification of licensing arrangements and the introduction of unambiguous commercial law. 

The country’s ease of doing business ranking improved from 126th in 2009 to 89th in 2019. The best ranking Bhutan achieved was 70th in 2014, but what may be a worrying sign is that the ranking has continuously dropped since.

Executive committee member of BCCI, Sonam Wangchuk, said that rules and regulations have improved during the last 20 years. But he adds that ad hock decisions from the government is impeding realisation of the private sector vision.

He said that the frequent changes in rules and regulations created uncertainty for investors. “We need conducive rules that do not change frequently.”

Chen Chen Dorji said one of the challenges was the lack of prompt decisions from relevant ministries. “They talk about one-window service. In realty, we need to visit about 20 windows to avail a service,” he said.

One of the parameters to measure the growth of the private sector is its ability to attract youth as a source of employment. The document envisions that the private sector should be the “magnet of employment”.

The employment of thousands expatriate workers in the Bhutanese private sector is an indication that the private sector has grown significantly. But the sector’s inability to attract Bhutanese youth remains an obstacle to solving the unemployment problem.

Sonam Wangchuk said the mentality towards the sector needed to change to absorb Bhutanese jobseekers.

He said that the sector’s ability to create jobs depends on its health. “The private sector needs a lot of support from the government in terms of policy, not freebees and monetary support to grow as a major player in nation building and provide jobs.”

The overall unemployment and youth unemployment rate stand at 3.4 per cent and 15.7 percent respectively, as per the labour force survey of 2018.

Lack of implementation of the Labour Act, which requires private sector to provide provident fund and other social security schemes to private employees, has been a major discouraging factor against the private sector’s ability to attract youth. The labour ministry in March last year made it compulsory for private firms to provide provident fund (PF) to their employees, but many firms, especially small ones, have dragged their legs out.

Some private firm official say that smaller firms were not financially sound to provide social securities to employees.

One of the areas of achievements is the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Bhutan received a total of 83 FDIs during the last eight years, according to the FDI report 2019.

The vision was to improve the access of local private sector firms to capital, technology and know how and formation of joint ventures with foreign enterprises, which generally have been achieved.

According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Hotel, IT and IT-enabled services were the most attractive sectors for FDI in 2019. Of the 12 projects approved, five each are in these two sectors and the remaining in technical education and manufacturing.

However, the challenges remain about distributing them among all regions. About 64 percent of FDI projects approved are located in Thimphu, Paro and Chukha with highest number (38 percent) being in Thimphu.

According to the vision document, FDIs would be encouraged in projects that will have 80 percent export potential of its production and also earn in hard currency, which means that the production-based industries were expected.

In total, 11 FDI projects in the manufacturing sector have exported goods worth Nu 4.2 billion (B) of which Nu 3.8B is to India and the remaining to other countries.

Another vision in the private sector was to create opportunities for small businesses to flourish. But the issues have been that mostly large-scale firms including hotels enjoy the fiscal incentives.

An economic analyst said that on the whole the private economy had grown significantly in size. He cited the increase the number of star-rated hotels in the country.

However, he added that the sector lacked a locomotive to take off to be the engine of growth. “This is one area where the government failed miserably.”

Contribution of the forestry sector to GDP is three percent

Choki Wangmo

Vision 2020:   Environment: As envisioned in the Vision 2020 document, Bhutan’s long term commitment to the maintenance of biological diversity is rooted in the understanding of the importance of forest systems. Bhutan has achieved major milestones and main policy instruments in the conservation of the environment.

But, implementation and adaptation remains a question in the face of changing global climate.

The vision states, “Our approach to environmental conservation will not be a static one. It will be given a dynamic and development-oriented interpretation in which natural resources are not only seen as something to be preserved but also as a development asset.”

Today, Bhutan’s total forest cover is 83.90 percent—70.77 percent trees and 13.13 percent shrubs. About 51 percent of the area is designated as national parks, nature reserves, and other protected areas.

However, according to forest analyst Phuntsho Namgyel (PhD), increased forest cover in the country has come at the cost of agricultural lands and grasslands. For instance, agricultural lands decreased from 9.26 percent in the 1970s to 2.75 percent in 2016. Similarly, meadows declined from 4.07 percent in 1995 to 2.51 percent today.

“These non-tree ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and support high densities of domestic animals and wildlife. These species loss and resulting habitat change remains a serious threat to our national food security and the ecological integrity,” Phuntsho Namgyel said.

Overstocked forests with suppressed, unhealthy and stressed trees are susceptible to pest, diseases, drought, and forest fires while disrupting groundwater supplies.

Currently, contribution of the forestry sector to GDP is three percent. In 1999, when the vision 2020 was launched, the forestry share of GDP was 6.6 percent.

According to statistics,  there is a timber reserve of 1,001 million m3 growing at an annual rate of 13.5 million m3. The total wood removed from the forest is maximum—0.5 million which is mere 3.7 percent of the sustainable harvest level.

Phuntsho Namgyel said that there was hardly any timber extraction happening in the country. “At the village and household level, forest resource is not an important economic activity generating any worthwhile cash income.”

“By increasing the harvesting level from current 0.39 million m3 to 5 million m3, the forest sector can annually generate revenue of Nu. 50 billion, which is comparatively more than the hydropower,” he added.

A recent World Bank report also noted that Bhutan’s forestry sector constitutes an important but underutilised sector of the economy, and if principles of sustainable forestry are applied fully, it could significantly increase forest productivity, improve ecological resilience and increase employment opportunities.

Vision 2020 further states that there is a need to display a higher degree of sensitivity to the maintenance of biodiversity. For instance, the nation’s commitment to pine trees have contributed to a reduction of biodiversity—pine forest has taken over alpine meadowlands leading to loss of plants, birds, and insects that formed part of the ecosystem.

The National Forest Inventory report 2018 recorded three percent (98,563 ha) of chirpine forest and four percent (137,230 ha) of blue pine forest in the country.

Further to that, the environment is under threat from population pressures, agricultural modernisation, hydropower and mineral development, industrialisation, urbanisation, sewage and waste disposal, competition for arable land and road construction among others.

Meanwhile, stern conservation rules have garnered Bhutan the greatest biodiversity-rich country in Asia, and were declared one of the world’s 10 most important biodiversity ‘hotspots’.

Bhutan has received international acclaim for carbon-neutral status and maintenance of the biodiversity as reflected in the decision to maintain at least 60 percent of the land under forest cover.

The vision document recognised improved water and air quality standards comprehensively.

Documents related to the issues were developed and is in place since 2008. But, according to annual reports, there were some loopholes in distribution.

As of 2018, the annual drinking water quality report found that while drinking water in Thimphu thromde was 92 percent safe, the other dzongkhags did not achieve the safety levels. The facilities were unequally distributed.

For instance, out of 34 urban reporting centres, only six health centres—Bajo, Bumthang, Gelephu, Phuntsholing, Samtse and Thimphu monitored chlorine drinking water because there were no treatment facilities in other urban areas.

Out of 2,436 samples collected and tested for E. coli in urban areas, only 56 percent of urban drinking water was found to be safe according to the report, while the rest were found to be unsafe. “The drinking water quality from some sampling points were found consistently polluted,” the report stated.

According to Chief laboratory officer with Royal Centre for Disease Control, ChimiDorji, with changing climate and rapid urbanisation, water quality is affected and contamination was inevitable during monsoon.

He also said that rural areas faced problems due to lack of specialists.

Out of 5,962 samples tested for E.coli, about 66 percent were found to be safe for consumption in rural areas. About 33 percent was unsafe, 28 percent fell within the low heath risk category, four percent into the intermediate too high health risk category and about 0.27 percent was grossly polluted.

Similarly, greenhouse gas emission from the transport sector was 1.56 million tons of CO2 in 2002. Transportation sector accounts for 45 percent of all energy related emissions and seven percent of total national GHG emissions. Today, the number has increased fivefold.

If no actions are taken to curb the emission, it could triple by 2030, according to the Asian Development Bank.

The average vehicle ownership growth rate is 15 percent annually in the country. As of November 30 last year, Road Safety and Transport Authority recorded 10, 6154 vehicles in the country.

Due to vehicular emission, increased amount of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the atmosphere is a public health concern in urban areas.

Less than 1 percent of total arable land certified organic as of 2020

Chimi Dema

Vision 2020:   Agriculture: In an effort to make agriculture more sustainable and establish a resilient, productive organic farming system while preserving the environment, Bhutan embraced the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s first 100 percent organic nation by 2020.

Three days passed the 2020 deadline, Bhutan today has achieved only about 10 percent in organic agriculture production with just about 545 hectares of crop land (less than 1 percent of total arable land) certified organic.

The country today has only two internationally certified products, lemon grass and essential oil produced by BioBhutan and 20 products certified by local organic assurance system.

Currently, only 24 farmer cooperatives, three organic retailers and one exporter is involved in organic production and marketing in the country.

Since the establishment of National Organic Programme (NOP) in 2008, the consumption of synthetic fertilizers used in Bhutan remained stable, while the use of pesticides even increased with an average annual growth rate of 11.8 percent, which attributed to labour shortages, according to a study which assessed the economy-wide impacts of Bhutan’s proclaimed 100 percent organic policy.

In order to become wholly organic, the country intended to phase out the use of harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Part of the 100 percent organic policy rationale was to promote Bhutan as an organic brand, which would help commercialise smallholder agriculture, alleviate poverty, and add value to the tourism sector.

However, on a pragmatic level, achieving the target proved impractical, especially given the significant challenges involved, including the fact that the country currently imports 45 to 50 percent of the domestic rice requirement from India and other countries.

Given the compulsions of ensuring food self-sufficiency and security and a desire to attain import substitution in agriculture, there was a slow transition of Bhutanese agriculture towards an organic sustainable farming system since the 1960s, according to agriculture officials.

For the agriculture and forests ministry (MoAF), the priority and challenge is to meet the national self-sufficiency while keeping the agriculture systems largely organic.

A study in 2017 found organic crop yields on average,    24 percent lower than conventional yields.

The experimental processes to promote organic farming began in 2003, followed by institutionalised programs promoted to implement the National Framework for Organic Farming for Bhutan (NFOFB) in 2007 and the establishment of the NOP in 2008.

The ministry has adopted an Organic Masterplan in 2012, backed up by a roadmap for the 12th plan, which laid out organic agriculture development strategies from 2018 to 2023.

But despite recognising the organic programme and giving it a status to take up national organic agenda, it did not have adequate resources to meet the desired goals, an official said. “The organic agriculture received relatively lower priority in the 11th Plan.”

Despite efforts to translate the organic vision into reality, at the present context, organic agriculture is faced with different challenges.

Empirical data relating to organic agriculture is largely unavailable and there is a need of emphasis to generate alternatives to organic farming.

The country’s attempt to encourage farmers to produce for the domestic and international market, so far only reached single cash crops such as potato, hazelnut and cardamom.

In potato and rice farming communities, farmers were apparently encouraged to significantly increase the amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides over the last couple of years.

Only Gasa dzongkhag has been fully organic since 2004.

Challenges

The organic sector today is affected by a number of issues related to markets and value chains, including lack of appropriate supply-and-demand-side mechanisms such as absence of price premiums and low consumer awareness.

Organic producers who gathered at a regional symposium on organic agriculture in Paro last month said that promoting and marketing organic products was difficult.

Dawa Tshering, the producer of Organic Moringa Oleifere Tea, based at the Start up Centre in the capital, said one of the biggest challenges confronting organic entrepreneurs was inadequate consumer awareness in the domestic market.

“Even when the products were sold at reasonable prices, many consumers prefer imported products,” he said.

Another challenge, he said was insufficient technical and financial services, and poor policy support.

Another organic producer, Kamal Pradhan, who manufactures organic fertilizer, vermin compost and chicken manure at Bhu Org Farm in Gelephu, said that farmers are used to using chemical fertilizers to increase the yield.

He said that when it comes to organic product, people usually associate with higher prices. “They are not aware of the enriched composting and beneficial micronutrients present in the fertilizer.”

For Pema Gyalpo, the producer of organic cleaning and bathing products, insufficient raw materials and absence of advanced technology are problems.

“There is enough demand for my products, particularly from the tourism service sectors, but unavailability of raw materials for all season hinders the production,” he said.

To address such shortcomings, Pema Gyalpo is currently planning to expand plantation of Loofa plants and looking into high-tech technology to scale-up production.

The government so far has helped organic entrepreneurs in capacity development and skills enhancement by providing trainings and networking platforms.

With prioritising National Organic Flagship Programme (NOFP) for the development of organic sector in the current Plan, organic producers remain hopeful that the demand for the region’s organic products in both national and international markets would further grow.

The National Organic Flagship Programme (NOFP) aims to improve the integration of the agriculture sector with its sub-sectors of livestock and forestry.

Programme Manager of NOFP, Kezang Tshomo said that organic programme would encourage organic production and value chain development that will enable marketing of certified labeled and branded products.

“The government will also support linkages related to market and organic inputs in addition to cost sharing support for farm equipment, infrastructures such as compost shed, and processing equipment, among others,” she added.

The country now targets to achieve 100 percent organic by 2035.

Yangchen C Rinzin

Vision 2020:   Employment: Like any other country, Bhutan recognised that unemployment would be a serious problem in the future. That was 20 years ago in 1999 when the government came out with the Vision 2020 document.

It was foreseen that the growth of demand for jobs will far exceed the rate of population growth as per the Bhutan’s demographic transition. The Vision foresaw that in next 10 years, more than 100,000 children would be enrolled in primary school and around 60,000 young people in secondary education.

This meant that by this year, 2020, the country needed to create to create nearly 270,000 jobs for young people entering the workforce.

We have today not only failed to live to the noble vision, but are fretting about the growing unemployment rate.

Unemployment rate today stands at 3.4 percent (Labour Force Survey Report 2018, NSB). Youth unemployment rate is at 15.7 percent, higher than 12.3 percent in 2017.

Meanwhile, more than 7,000 Bhutanese youth are today working overseas in the Middle East through overseas employment. Another 700 left for Japan through learn and earn programme. Some have returned, one committed suicide and there is a case in the court.

Lost of ideas of creating jobs, the overseas opportunity was seen as an alternative, even if it was short-term, to see through a five year term, possibly.

Like many other countries face, overseas employment created problems. Bhutanese are getting conned in Malaysia by fake agents with the promise of job, more than 300 youth have returned to Bhutan and struggling to pay off their loan, Bhutanese women are reportedly stranded in Iraq and increasing number of fake agents are reported.

Economists say job creation is directly linked to the economy. Without a robust economy, jobs are few.

Labour minister Ugyen Dorji, who must have been in school when the Vision 2020 document was launched, said that although Bhutan has maintained strong economic growth and stable inflation over the years, the impact on job creation has been minimal.

“The economy is driven by the hydropower project cycle and very often employment elasticity of hydropower is low, which do not create attractive jobs,” Lyonpo said. “As agriculture is shrinking, many literate youth are not keen to go back to their village and private sectors are too small to absorb while public sectors are saturated.”

Former labour minister Dorji Wangdi said that employment has failed because the country has failed to invest in the hydropower and CSI that has better ways to create job opportunities. “We’ve failed in these two important sectors. Overseas job is not the solution to bring down the unemployment rate.”

The vision was clear on the need of creating jobs outside the government for the youth that aspire for white-collar jobs. This is because the civil service policy emphasizes on the formation of a compact, professional and efficient organisation, most will not succeed in finding the jobs they seek.

The Royal Civil Service Commission has a policy of small and compact civil service, which is why emphasis was on preparing young people to accept the dignity of labour, equipping with skills, and preparing youth for technical and vocational jobs.

However, the country is still struggling to produce skilled graduates with dignity of labour. Mismatch of skills and jobs availbe has become a rhetoric without a solution. In the meantime, there is a sort of brain drain with government funded and trained people leving for better opportunities in Australia and Canada.

Off-farm employment was recognised as a strategy. The vision was promoting rural industralisation to offer employment in the agriculture sector in the rural. It has failed to pick up. Rural-urban migration is one of the biggest problem today. While there are work, there are no hands to till the increasingly fallowing agriculture land.

The country’s employment rate is estimated at 96.6 percent. Of the total (300,442) employed persons, 214,206 persons (71.3%) reside in rural areas and 86,235 persons (28.7%) in urban areas (LFSR 2018, NSB). However, increasing number of people have moved out of agriculture every year leading to increased unemployment in urban. Majority, of which, are youth making agriculture less lucrative (World Development Indicators, World Bank).

Meanwhile, unemployment became a good political stunt to garner votes. Political parties played on the minds of young voters.

In the 10th Plan the unemployment rate was 4.1 percent, which dropped to to 2.1 percent by the end of the Plan period. To address unemployment issues, the first elected government started initiatives like IT Techpark that created jobs for more than 500 youth, contract teachers employing more than 300 teachers and sending youth as English teachers to Thailand, and community centre operators were also created to absorb more jobseekers.

Start-up opportunities were also started including formation of marketing and cooperative Act that has led to increased number of entrepreneurs and farmers’ cooperatives, and opportunity to foreign direct investment.

In the 11th Plan, however, unemployment rate increased to 3.1 percent and youth unemployment rate increased from 9.6 percent to 12.3 percent. Overseas jobs like guaranteed employment programme, employment schemes, formation of state owned enterprises were initiated. Start-up gained momentum in 11th Plan with easy access to financial loans.

In the 12 Plan’s the present government targets to bring youth unemployment rate down to 9 percent.

Realising the importance of creating employment, the national technical training authority and department of employment and labour were merged to form the ministry of Labour and Human Resources in 2003. It has done little to address the overall employment issue that needs to often abide by the government of the day’s pledges.

The ministry, however, with the objective to gain employment in the agriculture and construction, has launched youth engagement livelihood programme expecting to employ youth more. The government is also looking into revamping TVET that would focus on creating skilled vocational graduates, which is also the incumbent government’s pledge.

As of December 31 2019, about 48,247 job seekers (25-29 age range) are registered with ministry’s job portal system. Of this, more than 40 percent are higher secondary graduates followed by university graduates.

Meanwhile, about 62,743 youth job seekers are expected to enter the job markets in 12th Plan while the ministry has planned to create about 35,489 new jobs.

Ugyen Penjor

Vision 2020:   Urbanisation: The rapid rural to urban migration since the early 1990s, the change in the population dynamics and the implications it could bring along was long recognised. It was seen a major challenge.

A vision was drawn.

The Vision 2020 document, a strategic document with a 20-year perspective, identified the need to give “greater priority to achieving improvements in the quality of urban design and planning.” It cautioned, 20 years ago, that our urban planning could reach a stage where, from an urban planning and design perspective, they would be gone beyond repair.

Developing rural Bhutan was seen as a strategy to urbanisation. It even identified development of a growth centre in eastern Bhutan, ‘where the distances to Thimphu and Phuentsholing are great and the density of population high, giving the region a high potential as a ‘sending’ area’ was spelled out.

Concepts like ‘rurabnisation’ were also to be explored. It was to target townships in the vicinity of the towns as future focal points for a pattern of urban growth in which the benefits are more broadly-based and equitably shared.

Emphasis were laid on reducing the push factor by making farming activities profitable and attractive so that young people would not associate it with ‘backwardness’, but as a field of opportunity.

The vision cautioned of not repeating past mistakes in urbanising areas.

When the vision was launched in May 1999. Thimphu’s population was 28,000. The capital city as we know today was half the size with the Chang and Barp area largely being paddy fields and its hills full of pine trees and apple orchards.

Plans were made, polices and strategies deriving from the Vision were launched. In 2008, a national urbanisation strategy was launched touted to be an indicator of how our decision makers were serious and committed in achieving balanced and equitable development.

Before that in 2003, the Cabinet approved the master plan for Thimphu. Called Thimphu Structural Plan 2002-2027, the grand master plan was to guide the development of the capital city.

Did we live up to the vision?

With 114,551 people as of 2017 in Thimphu thromde alone, the capital city is crowded. Its residents are going through the fears that were apprehended in the vision document. The rapid urban growth and the unchecked rural urban migration have already created severe pressures on services like water, sanitation and waste.

Growth in infrastructure couldn’t keep up with the pressure. The capital city is known for lack of affordable housing, efficient public transport, parking space and everything that is against what was envisioned.

A construction frenzy has gripped the capital city which is evident from the loss of greenery, as construction of concrete structures penetrate the once pine tree forest. Growth has been haphazard and confusing. Thimphu growth pattern has been deduced to a ‘study relevant for government and international development partners for understanding policy implementation failures,” according to a 2013 study, Thimphu’s Growing Pains, challenges of implementing the city plan.

Planners attributed the administrative decisions of locating government offices in the capital for the strong pull-factor. Spatial distribution of government offices was looked at as a solution for mitigating migration to cities. Since the launch of the vision document, more offices, including ministries were added  – not many looked beyond Thimphu adding to the congestion and the pull factor.

When the priority is decongesting the city, more government and corporate are rushing to open new offices in the already crowded city, allowed without second thoughts. From the businesses operating in the core of the city, it appears that everybody loves rushing to Norzin lam.

“This happens when everything is concentrated in a place,” said a former urban planner. “We recognised developing other towns. The question is how serious were our decision makers?”

Those analysing the situation blame the lack of employment and economic opportunities in other places except Thimphu and Phuentsholing for the current problem. “These two places were like magnet drawing people, especially those with some education from the country side,” said a researcher.

Migration, it was envisioned will slow and may even reverse trends of fragmentation of land holdings, thereby helping to defuse the forces that give rise to landlessness and sharecropping arrangements. It was expected to encourage land consolidation, facilitate greater mechanisation and increased agricultural productivity.

Lack of innovation, commercialisation (deterred by topography) in agriculture and the promise of better lives attracted people, young and old to the towns. Many prefer working in a bar or restaurant in Thimphu and live in a basement of a house than working in the open fields in their village. Apart from a handful of farmers’ cooperatives and youth groups outside Thimphu, the interest is still in urban areas for the want of market and opportunities.

If the vision was to make agriculture attractive and keep people in the farming sector, it had not happened. Successive governments have prioritised agriculture, some giving away freebies. But agriculture couldn’t attract youth. An irony to the vision of making farming attractive is evident in the increasing area of fallow land from as far as Trashiyangtse to as close as Punakha.

Today, the size of fallow land (wet and dry) in land scarce Bhutan is more than 66, 120 acres, an increase of about 5,000 acres from 2009.

Since the transition to a democratically elected government, the focus on regional development received emphasis. But there was not many governments could do except for building farm roads, a priority of the people and a promise elected governments fulfilled. Today, 91.6 percent of houses all over the country are within 30 minutes of a road head. It has not stopped migrating to towns for greener pastures.

A former chief urban planner attributes the mismatch between the vision and the reality to the lack of substantial intervention of regional scale to provide employment and facilitate economic opportunities.

“Major establishments such as government, corporate, civil societies and private offices including medical facilities continue to be in Thimphu. Because of connectivity, Phuentsholing reigns as the commercial capital. In terms of weight, there is no town equivalent to these two to counter or attract population,” he said.

“In terms of studies and strategies there are enough done and subsequently recommendations provided for regionally balanced development, but was it actually implemented?”

Critics blame the problem of not turning visions into reality to the lack of coordination. “At the moment all agencies work in silos and are in race to showcase what each has done to contribute to nation building. There is no coordination and cooperation,” said a former planner.

The next attempt would be through the Comprehensive National Development Plan launched last year. The plan is yet another strategy about regional economic vitalisation, employment creation, and vitalisation of tourism through efficient connectivity, which needs to be dealt holistically.

Sounds familiar?

Twenty years ago Bhutan launched one of the most comprehensive development plans in its history in response to the kind of changes the country was beginning to witness—“2020: A Vision for Peace, Prosperity and Happiness”. The plan’s vision statement was concerned chiefly with setting out directions that would enable Bhutan to maintain a distinctive path of development “well into the 21st century”. The vision was ambitious because it was necessary. 

The question though is how far have we come. We have done well in some areas, not in others, however. The document used to be the reference point for young graduates who are now in senior positions but now know not what it really meant because of the many changes in between. Each department, sector and division work own their own because the workforce was not prepared for the grandness of the vision.

Today, Bhutan’s fertility rate of 1.7 is well below replacement rate of  2.1. This means Bhutan has transitioned to low fertility, low mortality, and a low child dependency ratio, which means the country is nearing demographic transition. This is a problematic equation in population studies.

Statisticians are of the view that Bhutan has gone way below the replacement level which does not portend well for the country. The success of family planning continues to be debated. But then, is Bhutan’s decreasing fertility rate all that bad and worrying? The share of ageing population is increasing relative to working-age population and old-age dependency is rising. The economy of the country is facing a downturn of a sort. If Bhutan lags behind in preparing for population ageing without investment in human capital and growth-stimulating policies informed by a national population policy, repercussions of falling birth rate could be damaging.

In other sectors too, we have not done well. Agriculture is beleaguered and unemployment among the young people is rising. According to a study by Asian Development Bank (ADB), Bhutan’s demographic dividend is expected to last only until 2038 after which it will decline gradually. The question is what would happen when Bhutan’s population aged 65 and above reaches more than 15 percent by 2050, as projected by ADB, and correspondingly  in support ratio. This is a serious warning.

These are the engines of growth that Bhutan has not been able to capitalise on. Urbanisation, the danger of which the Vision document warned, if not streamlined, is showing in the way new towns are growing. In the mean time, democracy did their share of destruction because political parties had to pander to the demands of the electorate. Some Bhutanese villages have more roads than necessary today and less education and health facilities at the same time.  What is now shocking is nobody is ready to accept the failure. Nobody owns “2020: A Vision for Peace, Prosperity and Happiness”. If such bureaucratic cultures become entrenched,  we have little to achieve as a nation.

The real question is how do we rate our progress, especially at a time when we are sitting to chart a development vision for 2045 and beyond. Vision 2045 looks like a failure already if these challenges are not considered. Politically elected governments have the responsibility to shape the long-term future of Bhutan. The nation cannot think small or little anymore, and how these plans are integrated well will depend on how together as a nation we look ahead, ideas such as robotics and AI besides.

2020 just passed by. Our plan for future has to be shaped in the spirit of the nation’s true needs and potential. We need to be self-sufficient first. That’s the national dream.

An account of socioeconomic progress

Tshering Dorji

Vision 2020: Economy: The year 2020 has been set as critical phase for the nation when the government has charted a vision in 1999. It is supposed to be the year when the country and its people are able to face the future with pride and confidence.

Are we there?

One of the core foundations of Bhutan 2020 is economic self-reliance because it is identified as a derivative to foster unique identity, achieve unity and harmony, maintain stability and secure the country’s sovereignty. 

After two decades, the country is still contemplating to achieve food self-sufficiency let alone economic self-reliance.

The vision, according to Khandu Wangchuk, former Prime Minister, who held the office two times (2001-2002 and 2006-2007) and also served as trade minister and foreign minister, is born out of Drukgyal Zhipa’s aspiration to achieve self-reliance.

“This document has been very carefully crafted as a vision for peace, prosperity and happiness of our people and nation,” he said adding that leaders of the day must update and revise it to ensure long-term national interest superseded the short-term political commitments. This is why the said that document is still relevant.

Bhutan has charted a unique path of Gross National Happiness (GNH) and the vision in 2020 is to maximise GNH, socioeconomic progress being one of the main pillars.

Despite progress the country made, the document stated that the pace of change would be “so great that it seems to propel us into the future.”

Socioeconomic changes must be what the country seek, instead of completely driven by the forces that compels the people to accept what is or has come.

Socio-economic conditions in 2020

What would Bhutan look like in 2020?

The nominal GDP at market price in 2003 is estimated at Nu 28B, which increased by manifolds to Nu 168B today. However, the country seems to be lagging in bringing about a structural transformation.

The year 2020 is viewed by many as the breakthrough moment in economic history because by then Bhutan is supposed to harness most of the hydropower potential, bringing in enormous revenue from which social activities could be pursued, and by which local industries could be developed.

In 1999 Bhutan has already developed more than 20 hydroelectric schemes, ranging from mini hydel to Chukha, and installed diesel generators. This has electrified 39 towns, 375 villages covering over 31,639 households.

The country’s potentials were seen to reside in two main areas: the further development of hydropower potentials and the development of small and micro enterprises. Until 1999 only an estimated 2 percent of hydropower potentials have been utilised and the energy produced was used for the development of natural resource-based processing industries, besides exports.

The end of 11th Plan envisages 2,500MW of power. In that period the country could harness a little over 1,600MW.

Hydropower, the supposed bedrock of economy took a turn when the first elected government embarked on an ambitious journey to harness 10,000MW by 2020. When geological glitches in implementation of Punatshangchhu I and II made headlines, the second government halved the target. The third government is keen on the 2,500MW Sunkosh and completing the 640MW Kholongchhu, concrete actions are being anticipated.

The hydropower sector is also seen as the driver of other sectors like manufacturing and mining. The Bhutan 2020 stated that Bhutan is known to possess deposits of lead, zinc, copper, tungsten, graphite, iron, phosphate, pyrite and gold, although the commercial value of these deposits has in most cases not yet been assessed. 

“Although the abundant and cheap power we are able to produce will make it possible to transform these and related potentials into new natural resource-based industries, the technologies required will typically be capital intensive and labour extensive,” it stated.

Today, the sector is being questioned as relenting a Dutch disease (Putting all eggs in one basket). The sector has not generated employment, contributed to growing imports and thereby distorting the current account balance.

However, hydropower is the growth driver because Bhutan’s economic growth is contingent on the construction and commissioning of hydropower plant. This is more appropriate today since the sector is associated with government investment.

Even in 1999 hydropower has been the driving force behind the nation’s economic development and government investment is still dictating the economic growth. For instance, growth has started to hit the lowest figure every five years since 2013 because five-year planned period ended and so did the government investment, in turn affecting the private investment and activities.

Since the Sixth Five-Year Plan, government had declared that the private sector should play an increasingly important role in fostering economic growth and as a source of employment and steer economic growth. Today the country is still mulling over private sector development.

Although the country has made considerable progress in developing its economy, it is still in its infancy. It is not yet fully monetised. “The nation’s economic structure is still shallow and narrow, with the main impulses to economic growth having so far come from the exploitation of our vast hydropower potentials and the establishment of natural resource-based industries that make use of the cheap power we are able to produce,” the document stated.

Establishment of dry ports was envisaged on the back of power production. Full-scale industrialisation, for instance, is also anticipated with the generation of power and there lies the solution of unemployment, technology transfer and building skilled manpower.

Not quite there

At the core of the vision is economic self-reliance because it is a derivative of all principles on which Bhutan 2020 was founded.

In 1999, Bhutan’s reliance on external assistance was seen as posing two-fold challenge. Although the revenue base is recognised as being narrow and inelastic, there are opportunities for achieving an increase in tax and non-tax revenues and these should continue to be explored as a matter of priority. In fact tax revenue has been one of the major sources of domestic financing.

While the country is still meeting 100 percent of recurrent costs, the goal is to finance the nation’s development entirely from its own coffers.

Overall level of ODA has declined since the early 1990s and an ever- greater share is being used to combat emergencies. In addition, several important bilateral donors had progressively reoriented their policies along the lines that distinguishes between poverty and commercial cooperation.

Today, even as the country prepares to graduate from LDC in 2021, the former government has requested for an extension till the end of 12th plan, considered as milestone for Bhutan. Even then, the economic vulnerability index is still not met, and even greater is the risk that it might pull back the country to LDC if not handled with care.

However, the risk seems infinitesimal for Bhutan, according to experts because Bhutan’s assistance is largely bilateral and that it has very less to lose from the LDC fund.

Even then, the nation’s economic structure is still narrow and shallow and determined efforts must continue to be made to diversify the economy so as to reduce vulnerabilities, promote self-reliance and to generate productive employment.

Notwithstanding the progress made in coverage of road network, telecommunication and social infrastructure, as stated in the document, the pace of technological advancement is propelling at a superior pace. The document may require an overhaul on the back of 21st century economic roadmap priority.

Govt. trying to rescue all women who want to come home

Tashi Dema and Tshering Palden

“Will the government be able to help us?”

In a hushed tone, Choden asked. She sounded desperate.

When she called Kuensel yesterday, she said she was in a kitchen of a home in Baghdad, Iraq. She had not eaten since morning. It was almost mid-day there when she made the inquiry.

Choden has gone to Iraq in September last year.

Like other similar stories, she was fiddling her mobile phone and checking social media sites when she received a message from a friend asking if she was interested to go abroad to work.

She heard many stories of people who went abroad and earned good income. She has also seen her neighbours receiving money from their children living abroad.

“I thought this was an opportunity to help my single mother and sister and make our lives better,” Choden said.

Her friend then gave her a Facebook account of a woman, who sends girls abroad to work. “The moment I added her, she asked me if I had passport,” she said.

  The woman asked her to process her passport and to tell officials she was going to study abroad. She met two friends and went to Siliguri.

“In Siliguri, we met the woman and she brought us till Delhi. She took care of all our expenditure and bought us goods. We thought she was a good woman,” the 23-year-old Choden said. “She told us Bhutanese are treated well in Iraq and that Iraq is now under the United States and a peaceful country.”

Choden and her friends stayed in Delhi for a week and reached Baghdad through Dubai at night in trucks. “They brought us with loads covered under blankets.”

Once in Baghdad, they were not given proper food but lots of work. “We wake up at 5am and go to bed at 11:30pm. I fell sick many times and even bled from mouth twice.”

Another woman, Zangmo, also went to Iraq through the same woman, supposed to be an agent.

She said they were given leftovers, made to work without rest and did not even have clothes to change. “Our luggage was taken to the police station but we were transported in trucks under blankets.”

The 27-year-old woman said four of them went together from Bhutan. She is not aware of where the other three are. “The clients confiscated all our local SIM. We are not in touch.”

She said one of the clients, who found her phone, broke it.

She claimed they change clients to work for at night. “I am working with a man these days. Besides the household chores, he makes me massage him every night, touch me inappropriately and ask me to sleep with him.”

It has been more than four months since she left Bhutan and she claimed that the woman who sent them lured them by saying they would be paid USD 400 a month and would get tips. “But we are not paid any salary.”

She said when she told the middle woman that she wanted to return home, she asked her to pay Nu 600,000. “When I told the agent here I want to return home, he asked me to pay USD 17,000.”

She said she feels like committing suicide. “If there is no way we could return home, taking my own life is the only solution.”

Another woman shared a similar story of suffering in Sulamaniyah.

The 21-year-old woman from Wangduephodrang said a woman working there, who was related to her brother-in-law, influenced her sister to send her down.

“They initially told me the work is in Qatar and I only knew it was in Iraq when they handed us the air ticket in Dubai,” she said. “Two other girls came with me but they are in different places now.”

It has been three months since they were in Sulaymaniyah and the woman said they were made to work without food. “When we complain that we cannot work, they scold and beat us.”

She said that when they told the two women, who influenced them to come down about their suffering, they have been blocked from social media. “They are from eastern Bhutan and they do not even put their real photo in social media accounts.”

The woman said she comes from a poor family and only has a mother at home. “She cries when I tell her my plight.”

She said they lodged a complaint to Royal Bhutan Police through social media accounts more than a month ago. “We are still waiting for the response.”

Intervention

Meanwhile, the government would complete contacting all women placed in Iraq by two Bhutanese unregistered agents and make arrangements for those who want to return within a week, according to foreign minister Dr Tandi Dorji.

Last week the government, along with relevant agencies, drafted a standard operating procedure (SOP) and Lyonpo said working on the cases have become easier through the SOP.

He said stakeholders worked over the New Year and the Nyilo to profile the girls and ask them if they wished to return. “The government and the two recruiters are working to get in touch with them.”

Dr Tandi Dorji said the stakeholders met yesterday afternoon and discussed the issue.

He said the government has questioned the two recruiters, one in Thimphu and the other in New Delhi. Both the recruiters are women.

“The 15 girls sent through one agent have been identified and when asked most wanted to remain in Iraq,” the minister said.

He said that most of them placed in Bagdad want to stay. “It’s those in Kurdistan who have problems and we’re profiling each of the girls and asking them if they want to return home.”

Lyonpo Dr Tandi Dorji said three women had arrived in New Delhi from Iraq of which two were pregnant and one was sick. “They knew they were pregnant only after they reached Iraq in October.

He said both the agents were also in contact with their partners in Iraq as well and they are yet to understand the terms between the agents.

Both agents were also told that their business was illegal.

The minister also said the foreign ministry has written to the Iraqi government not to allow Bhutanese girls to work as maids. “Kuwait has already banned it. Soon this restriction would extend to the whole of the Middle East.”

Are agents fooling the govt.?

However, Bhutanese maids in Baghdad are worried if the unlicensed agents are trying to influence the government by saying that they wanted to stay there.

“I don’t know who the government is in touch with,” a maid said. “I only received message from Prime Minister and I shared my plight. I got some hope when His Excellency said the government would help us.”

Another maid said that those who are suffering do not have phones and are not on social media. “I hope the government officials are not in touch with Bhutanese women working for agents here and luring others to come down.”

She said one or two women, who benefited from recruiting companies should not be allowed to make decisions for them. “There are more than 41 women in Baghdad, who want to come back. There are many others in other places.”

PM agrees to private schools’ fee revision proposal

Yangchen C Rinzin 

Teachers of private higher secondary schools can expect an increase in their monthly salary beginning this academic session.

The Private Schools Association of Bhutan (PSAB) consisting of 21 private schools have come to a consensus to increase the salary of teachers following the revision of government scholarship fee to Nu 40,000 for day scholars and Nu 70,000 for boarders.

With only 2,700 students left for admission in private schools this time, the PSAB had proposed the fee revision to the Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering last week in a meeting between PSAB representatives, government officials including from education ministry.

The education ministry had proposed a revision of Nu 35,000 for day scholars and Nu 60,000 for boarders. Last year, the 21 private schools received 4,225 students on government scholarship paying Nu 30,000 each for day scholars and Nu 50,000 for boarders.

Lyonchhen said that he understood the schools’ need to increase the fees to cover inflation, but that he would accept their proposed fee revision on one condition.

The condition was that all private schools should increase the salary of teachers. Lyonchhen had also said that his decision would depend on how much raise they wanted to give.

However, during the meeting, PSAB and private schools representatives could not decide on the fee revision.

Lyonchhen had asked the PSAB representatives who attended the meeting to discuss it with the rest of the members and report.

PSAB general secretary Tshering Dorji said after the meeting all the members came together to discuss the fee revision and the Prime Minister’s demand.

“During the meeting, all of us agreed and decided to go ahead with the fee we proposed thereby complying with the Lyonchhen’s condition,” Tshering Dorji said. “The differential amount of Nu 5,000 from Nu 40,000 and Nu 10,000 from Nu 70,000 would go as salary hike for all teachers and staff.”

Although it is yet to be announced officially, the PSAB members were informed by the education ministry that the Prime Minister have agreed on their decision the general secretary said yesterday.

It is left to individual schools whether or not to collect an additional fee on top of the approved fee from students.

Tshering Dorji said that since only a few schools may go for an additional fee like in the previous year it is left to the individual schools.

Students completing class X will also have the opportunity to choose between private or public schools without having to follow the ranking system this academic session.

The education ministry will not place students in schools like they did last year after the result was declared.

This was decided during the PSAB’s meeting with Lyonchhen on December 27 after the PSAB appealed to Prime Minister and requested the education ministry to allow students to choose a school based on their preference and convenience.

According to the ministry, of the 12,745 students that appeared class X examination this year, the government would absorb more than 9,000 students leaving about 2,700 students for private schools.

However, should fewer than 2,700 students opt for private schools, then the education ministry would distribute the students through the ranking system as they did for the 2019 academic session.

Meanwhile, following a viral notification that was circulated among the schools and students on admission in class XI the ministry on its social media page clarified that it did not circulate any such notification and to refrain from sharing the false information.

Last Friday, many students received a message on social media asking them to register online for the school of their preference in both private and public schools to find popularity. It also said if they failed to register, the student would be denied enrolment.

Many students were confused and panicked after they could not find any link for registration on the ministry’s website.

The ministry will announce and notify the online registration soon.

… aims to be the environmental capital of the country

Younten Tshedup | Panbang

While the rest of Zhemgang dzongkhag is slowly drying up, down south, Panbang is buzzing with life.

Usually, at this time of the year, the otherwise quiescent settlement comes alive as visitors – local, regional and international come to explore its subtropical weather and ecotourism characteristics.

The activities in the town started to grow with the opening of the Gyalpoizhing-Nganglam, according to residents.

However, things were different some five decades ago.

Settlement began in Panbang in mid 1960s when late Dasho Keiji Nishioka travelled to the area and began introducing agricultural activities.

The first elected representative of the community, Sangay Dorji, recalls how the conditions were back then. “Wild animals walked freely around and the few of us brought from the mountains struggled to make our presence felt,” he said. “Ferrying oranges on foot to the neighbouring Assam used to take us weeks. There were no roads.”

The 65-year-old said that the construction of the 13km road from Mathanguri till the current Panbang town opened developmental activities in the area. “The time taken to travel to Assam shortened and we the frequency increased. Shops began to grow and more people came in.”

Panbang Drungpa, Sonam Dorji, said that Panbang, of late has become a moderately sought after destination for governmental workshops and conferences, corporate and private sector’s retreat activities especially during winter.

“It is a good sign and we welcome such activities in our community,” he said. “Despite our own challenges especially in the logistic area, we have received positive feedback from visitors so far.”

The drungpa said that this was made possible with the dzongkhag administration’s recent request to government agencies to hold their conferences and seminars in the dzongkhag.

Zhemgang’s call 

Earlier this year, Zhemgang dzongkhag in a letter of invitation requested ministries and agencies to bring their winter activities from the usually Phuentsholing and Gelephu-centric to Zhemgang.

A personal initiative of dzongdag, Lobzang Dorji, the idea was to officially reach out to the authorities and attract local visitors to the dzongkhag.

According to the dzongdag, given the less number of international tourists visiting the place, the dzongkhag was exploring measures to attract domestic tourist.

He said the general notion among most Bhutanese is that Zhemgang is a far-flung and inaccessible place with no basic amenities and services.

“It was an attempt by the dzongkhag to make people aware about Zhemgang and its potential as an ecotourism hub and an alternative tourist destination.”

Dzongdag Lobzang Dorji said that Zhemgang has the potential to become the environmental capital of the country given its rich and globally endangered flora and fauna presence and several untapped and unexplored resources and places.

He said that the dzongkhag today has improved road networks, telecommunications and other basic infrastructures. People can also explore the rich cultural experience of the Khengrig Namsum (three agro-ecological zones-upper, middle and lower Kheng).

“Our attempt is to promote Zhemgang as a nature-based, community ecotourism in the country,” he said, adding that this would also help enhance the local economy of the people.

“We are beginning to receive more visitors and I think this would continue based on their feedback,” the dzongdag said. “Our people here are also learning from each visit and improving and upgrading their services.”

Drungpa Sonam Dorji said that one of the major challenges is the lodging facility, which is overwhelmed when a large group of visitors arrive. “We have plans to increase the capacity of the existing eco-lodges.”

Sharing the recent experience from the 10th engineers, architects and planners’ conference, he said that some of the participants were placed inside tents.

“In all honesty, this came as an opportunity for us to present even a better version of Panbang,” he said. “Participants shared how exited they were to experience the real-camping feel. Everyone here would have stayed in a posh hotel but this was a different experience, which was a pleasant surprise for many.”

More than 200 people thronged the area during the three-day conference.

“We are all learning here, which is why if there were any flaws in the services, I would like to request the guests to be considerate,” said the drungpa. “As a community, we will keep improving and the best of Zhemgang would only be offered.”

… as the siblings battle vision loss

Younten Tshedup, | Panbang

It is every mother’s dream to see her child grow but only some have the privilege.

Rinchen Yangzom, 30, from Tsangtsiri village under Phangkhar gewog in Zhemgang is a mother but she doesn’t know how her daughter looks like.

She lost her vision at the age of 15 when she had an epileptic fit. Her elder sister and younger brothers also had lost their vision while growing up.

Rinchen married seven years ago and gave birth a year later. It was then the real challenge of being visually impaired struck her when she couldn’t see her daughter.

“I’ve always longed to see my daughter since I gave birth to her,” she said. “I’ve only heard the change in her voice over the years and a shadowy figure grow with each passing moment.”

She said that she keeps wondering how her daughter looks like today. “Does she have my nose? Is her hair straight like mine or curly like her father’s? Is she growing up well with good friends around? Will she be a good person when she grows up?”

The daughter is six this year. She would soon go to school.

She is seen holding her mother’s hand and helping her to walk around the village sometimes.

Rinchen said that her daughter is more attached to her father and grandparents than her. “I think it’s only natural for her to be closer to them. I could never be close to her even if I wanted for the fear I might hurt her.”

She said that the fact her daughter could grow up well thus far was all because of the supportive husband and parents. “My only regret would be not contributing to my daughter’s growth but I hope she would understand this someday.”

What caused the siblings to lose their vision?

All five siblings in the family are visually impaired.

Namgay, 27, was the first one to lose his sight at the age of 14. He was studying in class IV then.

“I was inside the classroom when my vision was clouded and a bright light sparked for a few seconds,” he said. “I had not completely lost my vision then. I continued till class VII after which I couldn’t see anything and I had to drop out of school.”

He visited the hospitals in Thimphu, Gelephu and Zhemgang but nothing helped. “The doctors in Thimphu said that there was no cure to this condition, as the veins in my eyes were all dried up. Similar was the condition in the rest of my siblings.”

Namgay said that every year the condition of his eyes deteriorates. “There was a time when I used to see things partially by placing them near my eyes. It’s slowly fading now,” he said. “I’m also starting to forget how this village used to look. I’m sure it has changed a lot today.”

Namgay’s mother, Lekimo, said that they were helpless when the children, one after another, started to lose their vision. “Thinking it was some sorcery, we conducted several rituals – major and minor, but nothing helped.”

She said that she worries about the future of her children. “For now we have been managing but what would happen when we’re are gone. I can’t sleep at night.”

Of the five siblings, the youngest brother died a few years ago in an accident at worksite in Samdrupjongkhar.

The eldest and second youngest sisters have left with their husbands. Namgay and Rinchen, along with their parents and Rinchen’s husband and daughter, live together in a temporary structure in Tsangtsiri.

The family owns some land about 3kms away from the house.

To sustain the family, Namgay said that the father grows vegetable and crops. “When they die, the land would also be gone. The future doesn’t look promising for us just like our present,” he said. “I wish someone would help us.”

Meanwhile, Rinchen and her husband are worried that their daughter could also suffer a similar fate and lose her vision.

“When we were young, even we could see properly. It all happened when we grew up,” Rinchen said. “I pray this does not happen to my daughter.”

From the very beginning people took the former government’s overseas employment programme with a pinch of salt. There were doubts and debates but young job seekers were told that working conditions in the countries they were going to be placed would be safe and earning opportunities there high. And so the desperate youth helplessly fell into the trap that the government’s ill-thought-out and wrongheaded arrangements helped create. Then came reports of problems facing Bhutanese who went abroad for employment and controversies myriad. Even labour minister and a senior government official were later found to have engaged in dodgy programme in collusion with individuals some of whom succeeded in hoodwinking jobseekers as government-approved employment agents.

What is now evident is that Bhutanese youth who went to some countries with promise of good income opportunities are not only suffering long hours of work but are also tortured and abused every day. Some, according to reports, go without food for days and women are being apparently used as sex slaves. Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji said that three Bhutanese women had recently arrived in New Delhi from Iraq. One was sick and two pregnant. A woman in Iraq Kuensel could get in touch with said that her employer demanded sexual favours from her and made her massage him and that her only option, if she was not able to return home soon, would be to take her own life. Their passports have been confiscated and contact outside their workplaces restricted. Some are being beaten up regularly. What the agents did in the name of providing employment to young Bhutanese jobseekers looks more like a trafficking racket and the government must do everything in its capacity to bring them home.

The government now has something called the standard operating procedure (SOP) that is expected to make working on cases involving employment agents and jobseekers easy. The real problem was with lack of monitoring mechanism and initiatives from the labour ministry which could not figure out or inform job seekers about the possibilities of individuals posing as employment agents. That opened doors for the crooks to deceive young jobseekers. Parents and jobseekers themselves also need to take the blame for rushing headlong. Good news is that the government is in touch with employers and agent in both Iraq and Bhutan. Foreign ministry has also written to the Iraqi government not to allow Bhutanese girls to work as maids. But we must do more. That a majority of Bhutanese who are working in Iraq wants to stay back cannot and should not be believed. Agents and everyone involved in sending these youth to Iraq must be brought to the book and ensure that such things do not happen again. That must begin with bringing them home.

Staff Reporter 

Trongsa dzongkhag court sentenced a drayang owner in Trongsa town to a year and six months in prison for employing a minor as a dancer in the drayang.

Tshering Dorji, 37, from Kuengarabten was found guilty of section 221 of the  Penal Code of Bhutan, which states, “A defendant shall be guilty of the offence of a child abuse if the defendant subjects a child to an economic exploitation or any job that is likely to be hazardous.”

The crime is graded a misdemeanour and he could pay thrimthue in lieu of imprisonment.

The case surfaced after the kidu officer of Trongsa was detained for an alleged rape of the minor, which is still pending in the court waiting for DNA report.

The judgment stated that the entertainment committee of Trongsa dzongkhag failed to uphold the law by re-issuing the licence to the drayang owner although three crimes were reported in the same drayang.

After the alleged rape case in the drayang by the kidu officer, the drayang owner was charged for employing a minor. Then there was a stabbing case amongst two female employees.

According to the judgment, the drayang licence was suspended once after the rape allegation but later the dzongkhag entertainment committee lifted the suspension. After the case of employing the minor surfaced, the committee suspended the licence. They met again and decided to allow it to operate.

Then the stabbing occurred and the committee suspended the license again. It stated that Tshering Dorji then filed the case against the committee to the dzongkhag court but the court dismissed the case.

The drayang operator then acquired a new licence in the name of his wife and operated the drayang.

The court also asked the Office of the Attorney General and dzongkhag entertainment committee to report to the court on action taken against the drayang based on BICMA Act and entertainment rules 2018.

Neten Dorji | Trashigang

Trashigang dzongkhag court convicted a man who came to seek donation but battered the man who took him to a hotel downstairs to give donations.

Tashi Dorji, 23, from Bidung in Trashigang was found guilty of trespassing in a residential apartment located on the first floor of a hotel on November 2 last year and asking for donation.

When the houseowner took him downstairs to the hotel to give donation, the defendant punched him below the ears and ran away.

The December 31 judgment stated that Tashi Dorji was guilty of trespassing for violating section 237 of the Penal Code of Bhutan, which states, “A defendant is guilty of the offences of trespass, if the defendant intentionally enters or remains on others property or in a building occupied structures or separately secured or occupied portion of a building or structure with the knowledge that the defendant is not or no longer licensed of privileged to enter or remain thereto.”

The crime is graded a fourth degree felony.

Tashi Dorji was also given another three years imprisonment for battery as he had criminal records.

The judgment stated that he was sentenced to prison for battery by Thimphu dzongkhag court and Trashigang court in 2015 and 2016.

It stated that since the defendant is a recidivist, the court has enhanced the conviction degree in accordance to section 15 of the Penal Code of Bhutan, where it states that defendant who is found guilty of the same offence shall, on the next conviction, could face a higher conviction.

Tashi Dorji was, however, given a concurrent sentencing of three years imprisonment.

Staff Reporter

Continuous snowfall for the past two days on the passes has caused roadblocks and hampered vehicle movement in some parts of the country.

Phrumsengla between Mongar and Bumthang, Chelela pass between Paro and Haa, and Tergola pass between Haa and Sangbaykha remains blocked to traffic. It is the second day these roads remained closed. Clearing works are under way.

Road block at Phrumsengla (Photo: RBP)

Traffic on the Phuentsholing-Thimphu highway was stopped yesterday afternoon following heavy hail storm and snowfall around Gedu where many vehicles were stranded. The vehicle movement was stopped from Rinchending in Phuentsholing. A light snowfall was also reported in Tsimasham in Chukha at around the same time.

Roadblocks at Dochula and Lamperi were cleared yesterday and vehicle movement resumed. However, commuters are cautioned to travel safely as the road remains slippery from ice and snow. There were no report of vehicle accident.

Phub Dem

Following numerous reports of fake authorisation letters submitted in official tendering of works, the Office of Consumer Protection issued a notification warning businesses against such practice last week.

The notification stated that the department has observed some business entities engaging in unfair trade practices such as submitting fake authorisation letter from manufacturers as a part of the bidding document to participate in government tenders.

 Other practices such as sales of products claiming “Made in Bhutan” without approval or certificate of origin from the competent authority, sale of products in market falsely claiming to be an authorized dealer from overseas principal companies without endorsement of competent authority were also included in unfair trade practices.

The notification also states that the supply or sale of products and services without proper labelling in terms of weight and measure, content, price, expiry date and other relevant commercial information are considered false and misleading representation as per the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) 2012.

Director of OCP, Sonam Tenzin said that such practices not only distorted the economic behaviour of the consumer but also altered the fair trading culture in the market.

He said that the department received written complaints regarding such practices.  “All the business entities are directed to refrain from engaging in such unfair trade practices.” 

According to CPA, chapter three on Misleading and False Representation states: “No person shall make a false or misleading representation stating that the goods are of a particular kind, standard, quality, grade, quantity, composition, style or model; the goods are new or reconditioned; the goods or services have any sponsorship, approval, endorsement or affiliation; concerns the place of origin of the goods among others”.   

“Those who fail to comply with the law shall be dealt as per the provisions of CPA 2012, rules and regulation and other relevant laws including cancellation of business licence.” the notification stated. 

Chimi Dema

Olarongchhu workshop area in Thimphu is running out of space.

The number of workshop and business operators in the area has spiralled unabated in recent years.

The present location was initially designed for 31 workshops in the 44 buildings when the workshops were relocated from Changzamtog. Today, 120 operate in those buildings.

Each building has about six operators. Most of them have automobile servicing, spare parts, denting and painting businesses, and a few have restaurants, pan shops, and tailoring.

An automobile spare parts shopkeeper, wishing anonymity, said that he bought the space at Nu 150,000 from one of the workshop operators who leased the building from the landlord. He pays Nu 10,000 to the workshop operator as monthly rent.

Several workshop operators have sublet their rental units to other operators. A few additional structures were also constructed adjacent to the buildings and are rented out.

The operators were charged between Nu 8,000 to Nu 10,000 as monthly rent depending on the size of the space they occupy.

The workshop firms claimed that they had to sublet any space they can to cover the exorbitant rents.

“With our automobile business alone, we cannot afford to pay such huge amount of rent every month,” one workshop owner said.

He said that in about a decade’s time, the landlords increased the rent between 266 and 300 percent. The hike, he said, was not in line with the Tenancy Act as it exceeded the 10 percent allowed by the Act every two years.

“We have no other options than to pay an increased rent because if we fail, we will be asked to vacate the premises within three months from the date of the notice,” another workshop owner claimed.

Meanwhile, the area is also constrained with traffic congestion, loud noise of machines and tools, and an outflow of effluents along the narrow roads.

At the roadside, some old and rusted machines and vehicles were assembled for repair.

With the increasing number of units operating in the area, the occupants are grappling with mounting waste and noise pollution.

In absence of proper drainage system and defunct waste treatment plant,  effluents – fats, oils, grease (FOG), detergents and paints from the workshop flow into the adjacent stream and then into the Wangchhu.

Implementation of recommendations on track 

Yangchen C Rinzin

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) revamping works are underway and would cover most of the recommendations on TVET the National Council passed last year, labour officials said.

The Special Committee of NC for TVET asked the Ministry of Labour and Human Resources on the implementation status of TVET recommendations it submitted during its first public hearing yesterday.

Labour officials asked on the status of 17 recommendations made under the five areas submitted during the last National Council session in June 2019.

The five recommendations were on governance and leadership, diversification of courses and enrichment of curriculum, professional development for instructors and trainees, industrial and institutional linkages and collaboration, and financial support.

The revamp, officials said, would see a development of national TVET policy. However, this is not a new attempt.

In 2013, a TVET policy was drafted and submitted to the Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC). 

The ministry is again reworking on the formulation of TVET policy.

Formulation of a comprehensive national TVET policy was one of the recommendations made by the NC. Committee chairperson and eminent NC member Phuntsho Rapten asked on the status of the policy since there is a need for one.

Department of technical education director Norbu Wangchuk said that the 2013 draft was put on hold by the GNHC after TVET Blueprint (2016-2026) was endorsed since the blueprint would serve as a policy. He said that during a review it was found that the blueprint did not capture many components of the TVET so the policy is needed.

“We started to re-work and reviewed the draft 2013 policy by the internal working group in March 2019,” Norbu Wangchuk said. “It was submitted to GNHC in July last year.”

However, the revision of TVET policy is put on hold again because of the plan on revamp of TVET by the government. Two expert working groups are established to work on revamping the programme.

“However, we’re trying to ready the policy by July so that when interim National TVET Council is established, it would take care of the policy,” the director said. “We were working on the policy and everything was ready until we received an executive order in September to work on revamping TVET.”

On the recommendation of developing a separate career structure for TVET professionals in the civil service and according to priority to the TVET sector both in national planning and budget allocation, Norbu Wangchuk said that all these are being worked out under the TVET transformation and are on track.

The special committee had also recommended to develop human resources development policy for TVET trainers and allocate dedicated HRD budget for the development of TVET system.

The director said that competency based HR development exercise has started and was supposed to complete by December last year. However, it is on hold after the ministry was instructed to work on the TVET transformation.

“Since there would be new courses developed under the transformation of TVET, we’ll have to wait for these courses to come,” he said, adding that only then the ministry can continue with occupational competency based exercise.

The ministry is also working through the TVET transformation programme on the recommendations like recruiting experts and trainers from abroad, development of separate career structure for TVET professionals, and awarding scholarships to the top performers of training institutes.

The ministry is reviewing existing practices regarding on the job (OTJ) structure based on which policy guidelines will be developed.

“The guidelines will ensure that there is a supervisor to monitor or have an industrial supervisor to maintain proper work plan and space optimisation.”

The NC had recommended to increase the monthly stipend of trainees from Nu 1,500 to Nu 3,000 per student. Norbu Wangchuk said that the department had prepared the concept paper on the stipend and submitted to the ministry.

“However, submission of concept paper to the government was temporarily put on hold because of the TVET transformation plan,” he said. “We’ll ensure to put this up when interim TVET council is formed and ask them to work on it as a part of the reform.”

Phuntsho Rapten said that the committee had tried to endorse this in the pay commission report so that TVET programme does not have to depend on the finance ministry.

Phuntsho Rapten said that the ministry is undertaking a lot of TVET reforms and initiatives. He said that the progress of the reforms would directly depend on the national TVET council.

However, the committee was dissatisfied to see that the revamping plan did not include the establishment of national institute of technical education or resource centre despite the TVET Blueprint mandating to have one.

Norbu Wangchuk said that although the ministry had included it in the 12th Plan as a priority, it was not approved. “But the interim TVET council can revisit and look into the possibilities.”

Phuntsho Rapten said that the hearing gives the members an opportunity to update on the work progress and prepare for the coming session.