Bhutan's Constitution of 2008
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Geographical and Historical Background of Education in Bhutan
Chapter 2 Geographical and Historical Background of Education in Bhutan Geographical Background There is a great debate regarding from where the name of „Bhutan‟ appears. In old Tibetan chronicles Bhutan was called Mon-Yul (Land of the Mon). Another theory explaining the origin of the name „Bhutan‟ is derived from Sanskrit „Bhotanta‟ where Tibet was referred to as „Bhota‟ and „anta‟ means end i. e. the geographical area at the end of Tibet.1 Another possible explanation again derived from Sanskrit could be Bhu-uttan standing for highland, which of course it is.2 Some scholars think that the name „Bhutan‟ has come from Bhota (Bod) which means Tibet and „tan‟, a corruption of stan as found in Indo-Persian names such as „Hindustan‟, „Baluchistan‟ and „Afganistan‟etc.3 Another explanation is that “It seems quite likely that the name „Bhutan‟ has come from the word „Bhotanam‟(Desah iti Sesah) i.e., the land of the Bhotas much the same way as the name „Iran‟ came from „Aryanam‟(Desah), Rajputana came from „Rajputanam‟, and „Gandoana‟ came from „Gandakanam‟. Thus literally „Bhutan‟ means the land of the „Bhotas‟-people speaking a Tibetan dialect.”4 But according to Bhutanese scholars like Lopen Nado and Lopen Pemala, Bhutan is called Lho Mon or land of the south i.e. south of Tibet.5 However, the Bhutanese themselves prefer to use the term Drukyul- the land of Thunder Dragon, a name originating from the word Druk meaning „thunder dragon‟, which in turn is derived from Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism. Bhutan presents a striking example of how the geographical setting of a country influences social, economic and political life of the people. -
Continuing Customs of Negotiation and Contestation in Bhutan
Continuing Customs of Negotiation and Contestation in Bhutan Adam Pain and Deki Pema∗∗ Introduction A concern for the maintenance of traditional values and customs in the processes of modernisation within Bhutan is evident in much of Bhutan’s official documentation. The fundamental importance given to the maintenance and fostering of Buddhism, its beliefs and associated institutions reflected in Bhutan’s rich culture, is constantly returned to and emphasized in commentary. Thus the establishment of the Special Commission for Cultural Affairs in 1985 “is seen as a reflection of the great importance placed upon the preservation of the country’s unique and distinct religious and cultural traditions and values, expressed in the customs, manners, language, dress, arts and crafts which collectively define Bhutan’s national identity” (Ministry of Planning, 1996, p.193). Equally the publication of a manual on Bhutanese Etiquette (Driglam Namzhag) by the National Library of Bhutan was hopeful that it “would serve as a significant foundation in the process of cultural preservation and cultural synthesis” (Publishers Forward, National Library, 1999). One strand of analysis that could be pursued concerns the very construct of “traditional” and what is constituted as “within” or “without” that tradition. As Hobsbawm (1983) reminds us with respect to the British Monarchy, much of the ceremonial associated with it is of recent origin. Equally national flags, national anthems and even the nation state, are, as Hobsbawm would have it, “ invented traditions” designed largely to “ inculcate certain values and norms of behaviour by repetition, which automatically implies continuity with ∗ Research Fellow, School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia & Planning Officer, Policy & Planning Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Thimphu 219 Continuing Customs of Negotiation and Contestation in Bhutan the past” (op. -
About a Dragon Free
FREE ABOUT A DRAGON PDF G. A. Aiken | 352 pages | 02 Dec 2008 | Kensington Publishing | 9781420103748 | English | New York, United States Dragon - Wikipedia Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want About a Dragon read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — About a Dragon by G. About a Dragon Dragon Kin 2 by About a Dragon. Existence as a hated outcast is nothing new for a woman with such powerful secrets. The dragon, though? A tad unusual. This one has a human form to die for, and knows it. According to dragon law, Talaith is now his property, for pleasure…or otherwise. Get A Copy. Mass Market Paperbackpages. Published December 1st by Zebra first published August 1st More Details Original Title. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about About a Dragonplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start About a Dragon review of About a Dragon Dragon Kin, 2. Oct 21, Alp rated it really liked it Shelves: dragons About a Dragon, fantasy-romance. Almost great. Oh yeah, I liked it! To tell you the truth, during the first few chapters, I was a little hesitant as to whether I should put this book down or not. -
Nepali-Speaking Lhotsampas of Bhutan Population of Bhutan: 798,000 (2016 Estimate)
Caring for the Health of Refugees and Immigrants Nepali-Speaking Lhotsampas of Bhutan Population of Bhutan: 798,000 (2016 estimate) Bhutan is a small, South Asian country nestled in the Himalayan Mountains between China and India. The Lhotsampas (“People of the South”) are an ethnically- and linguistically-Nepali people from Bhutan. They are descendants of Nepali people who settled in Bhutan mostly during the early 1800s to early 1900s. In the 1980s, xenophobic fear spread that the ethnic minority Lhotsampas were starting to overtake the ethnic majority Druks. This led the country’s king to institute a “one country, one people” policy that required all Bhutanese citizens to dress, worship, and speak as the Druks did. Textbooks were burned, Lhotsampa teachers were dismissed, and Nepali was banned from schools. Protests were declared subversive and illegal. By the early 1990s, the minority group was frequently subject to detention, imprisonment without trial, and torture. The citizenship of Lhotsampas was questioned and their Bhutanese nationality documents were often rejected. In December 1990, the government decreed that any Lhotsampas who could not prove they were residents of Bhutan in the year 1958 would have to leave the country. More than 100,000 Lhotsampas fled to Nepal, where they have spent the past quarter of a century in crowded, impoverished refugee camps. Nepal did not allow refugees to integrate into Nepali society, seek employment, or travel outside of the camps and initially refused to allow any refugees to be resettled in other countries. An intractable humanitarian crisis emerged, further complicated by the failure of diplomatic negotiations between Bhutan and Nepal. -
Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN)
MARCH 2016 ISSUE NO. 135 Intra-BBIN Trade: Opportunities and Challenges PARTHAPRATIM PAL ABSTRACT The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) sub-regional initiative is envisioned to improve economic cooperation and connectivity among the four South Asian countries. For India, this initiative allows it to bypass some of the more complex political issues of SAARC and engage in direct discussions on connectivity with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. This initiative is expected to help the landlocked developing countries of this region to integrate more effectively with the global economy. But there may be certain challenges, too. India has been a dominant member of SAARC; without Pakistan and Sri Lanka, India's dominance in BBIN will be even more pronounced. It is also important to keep in mind that political objectives and policy priorities of BBIN countries might not always align perfectly. The long-term success of BBIN will depend on how well these concerns are managed within the framework. INTRODUCTION Although countries of South Asia are tied by To begin with, these countries trade very little shared history and culture, they are still not well among themselves. In spite of having an connected with each other and integration overarching regional free trade agreement in the remains one of the poorest in the world. The form of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) sub- (SAFTA) signed in 2004, and various other regional initiative is envisioned to improve bilateral and regional trade agreements forged economic cooperation and connectivity among since then, intra-regional trade among South these four South Asian countries. -
1. Smaug, the Treasure Keeper
How have dragons evolved in modern literature? First we will study the classical representation of the fierce treasure- keeping monster in The Hobbit, then we will discuss its evolution as a potential ally or member of the family in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and A Clash of Kings. We will also compare the film and television series adaptations of these works with the novels and evaluate the choices made to represent these dragons on screen. 1. Smaug, the treasure keeper This 1998 book cover edition of The Hobbit (published in 1937) written by J.R.R. Tolkien for his children. He invented a whole universe and an associated mythology. He is considered the father of Heroic Fantasy. Tolkien also translated Beowulf and it inspired him to create Smaug. Heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy in which events occur in a world where magic is prevalent and modern technology is non-existent. Smaug is a dragon and the main antagonist in the novel The Hobbit, his treasure and the mountain he lives in being the goal of the quest. Powerful and fearsome, he invaded the Dwarf kingdom of Erebor 150 years prior to the events described in the novel. A group of thirteen dwarves mounted a quest to take the kingdom back, aided by the wizard Gandalf and the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. In The Hobbit, Thorin describes Smaug as "a most specially greedy, strong and wicked worm". The text is set just after Bilbo has stolen a cup from Smaug’s lair for his companions. The dragon is furious and he chases them as they escape through a tunnel. -
In Pursuit of Happiness, Bhutan Opens to Globalization and Business
In Pursuit of Happiness, Bhutan Opens to Globalization and Business Kimberly A. Freeman, Ph.D. Mercer University Katherine C. Jackson Mercer University ABSTRACT The Kingdom of Bhutan, a small country situated on the border between China and India, has in recent years become a constitutional democratic monarchy. As part of its 2008 constitution, Bhutan committed to promote conditions that would enable the pursuit of Gross National Happiness. The country thus initiated an effort to improve the quality of life and happiness for its citizens and has embraced globalization far more than previously through attracting business, tourism, and communications. The author’s herein address some of the initiatives provide the context within which these efforts have arisen. Keywords: Bhutan; Gross National Happiness (GNH); Globalization; Constitutional democratic monarchy 1. Introduction In 2006, the 4th King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, decided he wanted to open Bhutan up to the world and usher in modernization. Forty years ago, in 1972, Bhutan’s fourth king stated that “Bhutan should pursue Gross National Happiness (GNH) rather than Gross National Product (GNP)…with an emphasis not only on economic growth, but also on culture, mental health, social values, compassion, and community” (Sachs, 2011, p. 2) He chose to abdicate the throne to his eldest son and announced Bhutan would hold its first general elections in 2008. His son, King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, took the throne of the new democratic Bhutan on December 14, 2006. Jigme Yoser Thinley was elected prime minister in the election, and Bhutan’s constitution was ratified on July 18, 2008. The concept of GNH has a very long history in Bhutan. -
The Kingdom of Bhutan
Updated March 23, 2020 The Kingdom of Bhutan Background were best served by elected leaders. The first election went The Kingdom of Bhutan, also known as the Land of the smoothly in 2008, and the second, in 2013, brought a Thunder Dragon, is a small, landlocked Himalayan country situated between India and China. The mountainous Figure 1.Bhutan in Brief kingdom is about half the size of Indiana, with an estimated population of 782,000, approximately 115,000 of them in and around the capital city, Thimphu. Bhutan’s economy has grown primarily as a result of hydropower, agriculture, and forestry development. The United States has no significant trade relations with Bhutan, and its foreign aid mission and bilateral consular affairs are handled by the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan visited Bhutan in August, 2019. Bhutan has participated in a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) regional program for South Asia directed at developing power infrastructure, and it has implemented programs intended to help mitigate some of the effects of climate change. With 70% forest cover and extensive hydropower, Bhutan is a carbon negative country. The Constitution, Elections, and the King The constitution of Bhutan establishes three branches of Source: CIA World Factbook, Economist Intelligence Unit, Media government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The bicameral legislature, or Chi Tshog, includes the National Assembly (Tshogdu), with 47 elected representatives, and peaceful transition of power in which the opposition the National Council (Gyelyong Tshongde), with 25 People’s Democratic Party won 32 of the 42 elected members, 5 of which are selected by the king. -
AFS 2016-17 [Eng]
ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS of the ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN for the YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2017 Department of Public Accounts Ministry of Finance ii Contents 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................... 1 2. BASIS FOR PREPARATION .............................................................................. 1 3. FISCAL PERFORMANCE .................................................................................. 1 4. RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ............................................................................ 3 5. GOVERNMENT RECEIPTS BY SOURCES .................................................... 4 5.1 DOMESTIC REVENUE ............................................................................... 5 5.2 EXTERNAL GRANTS ................................................................................. 6 5.3 BORROWINGS EXTERNAL BORROWINGS .......................................... 8 5.4 RECOVERY OF LOANS ........................................................................... 10 5.5 OTHER RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS .................................................... 11 6. OPERATIONAL RESULTS .............................................................................. 12 6.1 GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE............................................................. 12 7. BUDGET UTILISATION .................................................................................. 25 7.1 UTILIZATION OF CAPITAL BUDGET................................................... 25 8. ACHIEVEMENT OF FISCAL -
Deconstructing Androcentrism in Buddhist Literature Through the Lens of Ethnography: a Case Study of Bhutanese Nuns
KEMANUSIAAN Vol. 25, Supp. 1, (2018), 143–165 Deconstructing Androcentrism in Buddhist Literature Through the Lens of Ethnography: A Case Study of Bhutanese Nuns *SONAM WANGMO JULI EDO KAMAL SOLHAIMI FADZIL Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia *Corresponding author: [email protected] Published online: 20 December 2018 To cite this article: Wangmo, S., Edo, J. and Fadzil, K.S. 2018. Deconstructing androcentrism in Buddhist literature through the lens of ethnography: A case study of Bhutanese nuns. KEMANUSIAAN the Asian Journal of Humanities 25(Supp. 1): 143–165, https://doi.org/10.21315/ kajh2018.25.s1.8 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.21315/kajh2018.25.s1.8 Abstract. Traditional androcentric sociology has reinforced biased views of women and portrayed women as silent research objects of minor importance that figure marginally in academic writing, thereby distorting the knowledge base. The same tendencies have been observed in Buddhist religious literature. The bone of contention in the feminist critique of Buddhism is the omission of women from religious literature. Although Buddhist women’s spiritual prowess was well documented in early Buddhism in religious literature such as the Therīgatha, later Buddhist literature began to demonstrate androcentric tendencies, in most instances completely ignoring the religious lives of women. Since women have been largely sidelined in Buddhist texts, it is important to go beyond textual dimensions to gain deeper insights into women’s religious lives. The feminist Buddhist scholar, Rita Gross (2009), in her monumental work, A Garland of Feminist Reflections, emphasised the need to explore various ways other than our own to think, live and practice religion to broaden our horizons to avoid a narrow-minded approach to academic research. -
United Nations Bhutan Covid-19 Sitrep #3
BRIEF UNITED NATIONS BHUTAN COVID-19 SITREP #3 UPDATE 30 July 2020 Highlight of Key UN Achievements and Advocacy Messages Given the scale of this global COVID challenge, our world may need to go beyond simple categories of either optimism or pessimism. UN Bhutan is responding to the immediate needs of the people; the needs of the most vulnerable while strengthening economic resilience and building longer-term human capital in a comprehensive way so that we find new ways to ‘Build Back Better’. - Gerald Daly, UN Resident Coordinator, Bhutan One UN The Government of Bhutan is closely monitoring the coronavirus pandemic and while 101 cases have been confirmed in Bhutan, all were imported, and no deaths have been reported. While the health impact has so far been limited as compared to many other countries, the economic and social effects are significant. The health sector would be challenged to cope with a major outbreak and a possible stock out of essential health commodities such as drugs, reagents and consumables. An extended period of limited movement of people, goods, and finances will have important consequences for the economy, especially the tourism sector and related service industries. Bhutan is also likely to be negatively affected by any extended economic downturn in its neighbors (especially India). The UN in Bhutan (FAO, IFAD, ITC, UNDP, UNESCAP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNODC, WFP, and WHO) moved quickly and pro-actively to respond to COVID-19. In particular, UN agencies developed a joint response framework aligned with “UN Framework for the Socio-Economic Response to COVID-19” includes both short-term measures to mitigate negative social and economic consequences along with medium- to long-term investments to strengthen the re-build and resilience to future crises. -
Zhemgang Dzongkhag
༼ར꽼ང་ཁག་རྐྱེན་ངན་འ潲ན་སྐྱོང་དང་འབྱུང་፺ས་པ荲་ཐབས་ལམ་འཆར་ག筲།༽ Dzongkhag Disaster Management and Contingency Plan Dzongkhag Administration, Zhemgang ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF BHUTAN 2020 DISASTER MANAGEMENT & CONTINGENCY PLAN OF ZHEMGANG DZONGKHAG [2] Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _________________________________________________________ Error! Bookmark not defined. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ________________________________________________________________________________ 4 ACRONYMS __________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 SCOPE: ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 OBJECTIVES: ________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE DZONGKHAG ___________________________________________________________ 7 BACKGROUND _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 SOCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROFILE________________________________________________________________________ 8 FIGURE 1 – ORGANOGRAM OF DZONGKHAG ADMINISTRATION __________________________________________________ 12 1.3: WEATHER AND CLIMATE _________________________________________________________________________________ 14 1.4: DEMOGRAPHY ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 14 1.5 ECONOMY _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 14 CHAPTER 2: DZONGKHAG DISASTER MANAGEMENT