250,000 tourists per year

September 12: Bhutan’s tourism industry, which is expected to grow considerably in the next three years, is very much a work in progress. The GNH commission and a team of experts from McKinsey and company, a consultancy firm, have recently projected an increase in tourist arrival to 250,000 annually within the next three to five years. The number includes high-end as well as regional tourists. “The number is the result of an in depth analysis, looking at the current policies, access, infrastructure,... Read more

Bhutanese-Thai Dzongkha software

A joint effort on an open source language system September 11: A Dzongkha language software program, developed by Bhutanese and Thai IT (information technology) professionals, could assist those finding Dzongkha language difficult to write or translate. The language software is being designed to include speech synthesis and recognition features. This means the software will be able to perform both text-to-speech and speech-to-text actions. Currently, the language software is only able to read out... Read more

First step to IT-hood

September 9: Bhutan has taken the first concrete step towards achieving its aspirations of becoming a major regional IT centre, with the government finalising a deal last Friday to build the country’s first IT Park. The park, named Thimphu TechPark, will be built on a five-acre plot in Wangchutaba by Thimphu techpark pvt ltd, a joint venture of Druk holdings and investments (DHI) and Assetz, a property development firm headquartered in India and Singapore. Thimphu techpark pvt ltd, the only firm... Read more

More than 1,300 graduates attend Orientation Programme

September 8: The National Graduate Orientation Program began today at the Nazhoen Pelri Complex, Thimphu. The theme this year is “Leaders of tomorrow”. More than 1,300 graduates are attending the National Graduate Orientation Programme this year. Addressing the gathering the Labour and Human Resources Minister, Lyonpo Dorji Wangdi, reminded the graduates regarding their responsibility in fulfilling the vision of His Majesty the King in building a strong nation. Towards afternoon graduates were... Read more

IT Park to be ready by 2011

September 6: Bhutan will soon have an IT Park in Babesa. A contract was signed between a Singapore based company, Assetz Property group and Druk Holdings and Investments Ltd yesterday. It is a joint venture project. The contract was signed by the director of the department of information technology, Tenzin Chhoeda and the CEO of Assetz Property Group, Mike Holland. Speaking at the signing, the information and communications minister, Lyonpo Nandalal Rai said the project will go a long way in fulfilling... Read more

5.5 % of Nu 20 billion released

5 September: The government of India has released Nu 1,104.881m or 5 .5 percent so far out of the Nu 20,000m they committed for Bhutan’s 10th plan projects, under the project-tied grant. Another Nu 620m will be released soon. The figure was revealed yesterday during the first (10th plan) project monitoring committee (PMC) meeting held in Thimphu on the Indian government’s project tied assistance to Bhutan. The government of India is Bhutan’s largest development partner. The Indian government’s... Read more

Graduates not keen on Bangalore job

Two IT companies offer 37 of the 100 jobs, only 9 accept 5 September: Parental objections and aspirations for government jobs have created a setback in the government’s plan to create a skilled labour force for the upcoming IT centre in Thimphu. In June this year, the government selected a hundred graduates to undergo a month-long training at an Infosys facility in Mysore, India. It was provided free of cost as a gesture of goodwill by the company’s co-founder, Narayan Murthy. The hope was that... Read more

Towards an information society

4 September: The cabinet has approved a concept paper that proposes waiving taxes on all infrastructure used by the media and subsidising newsprint and software to support the growth of a professional media and hence a better ‘information society’. The paper, prepared by the ministry of information and communications (MOIC), has also recommended that government agencies should behave like professional advertisers to ensure that advertisement is not given as ‘kidu’ but on the basis of the... Read more

Downside of IT savvy society

4 September: With Bhutanese becoming more affluent and technology getting cheaper, the use of electronic equipment (e-equipment) is increasing. This will continue with the government’s plan to turn Bhutan into an information technology (IT) centre and its people into a modern knowledge-based society. But with this transformation, Bhutan will soon have to confront a problem many countries are struggling with – how to safely dispose of the increasing amount of e-waste that is generated. E-wastes... Read more

Gesture of Thai friendship

September 3: The Thai ambassador to Bhutan, Chalermpol Thanchitt, handed over a cheque of Nu 971,200 (USD 20,000), on behalf of the Thai government, to the foreign minister, Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering on August 25. Another Nu 500,000 (USD 10,300) will also be contributed by the royal Thai consulate in Thimphu to His Majesty the King’s Kidu fund for the same purpose. “The financial support is intended to be a token of friendship and a gesture of goodwill from the royal Thai government and the Thai... Read more

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