Gelephu Gewog

Project 108 (108 Jangchub Chortens, Gelephu)

Project 108 is a royal initiative announced by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on 21 February 2026 to raise 108 Jangchub Chortens — each 15 metres tall and spaced 108 metres apart — in a single coordinated day along the Mau Chhu in Gelephu Mindfulness City. The structures of all 108 chortens are to be completed together on 1 November 2026, drawing on the Bhutanese tradition of zhabto and an estimated 40,000 volunteers.

Druk Holding and Investments

Druk Holding and Investments (DHI) is the commercial and investment arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan, functioning as the country's sovereign wealth fund and state holding company. Established in 2007, DHI manages the government's portfolio of state-owned enterprises and strategic investments, with the mandate of maximising long-term value for the Bhutanese people.

National Day of Bhutan

National Day (Ngadey) is Bhutan's most important civic holiday, celebrated annually on December 17 to commemorate the coronation of Ugyen Wangchuck as the first hereditary King of Bhutan in 1907. The day is marked by elaborate celebrations at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu and across all 20 dzongkhags, featuring masked dances, cultural performances, royal addresses, and a reaffirmation of the country's unity under the Wangchuck dynasty. It is both a day of patriotic celebration and a reflection on Bhutan's journey from fragmented feudal territory to unified modern nation.

Glossary of Dzongkha Terms Used in English Writing About Bhutan

A comprehensive reference glossary of Dzongkha and Bhutanese terms commonly encountered in English-language writing about Bhutan, including administrative terminology, religious vocabulary, cultural concepts, titles, and everyday words. Includes definitions, context, and pronunciation guidance.

Passport and Travel Restrictions in Bhutan

The Bhutanese passport ranks among the weakest in the world, providing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to approximately 50-51 destinations out of 227. The government exercises control over passport issuance, and citizens face bureaucratic requirements when traveling abroad. The recent wave of emigration to Australia has prompted government concern, though formal travel bans have not been imposed.

Construction and Foreign Labour in Bhutan

Bhutan's construction sector relies heavily on Indian and other foreign workers who perform the majority of manual and semi-skilled labour on the country's building sites, hydropower projects, and road construction. This dependency has shaped the economic, social, and cultural dynamics of Bhutan's modernisation, raising questions about labour rights, working conditions, wage equity, and the long-term sustainability of a development model that depends substantially on imported labour.

What If Gelephu Fails?

Gelephu Mindfulness City is a roughly USD 100 billion bet — about thirty times Bhutan's GDP — staked on a single city. An editorial from the BhutanWiki Editorial Team on the scale of the wager and the NEOM cautionary tale, the Lhotshampa land the project rises on, the “voluntary” zhabtog labour that could have been paid jobs, and the question underneath it all: if open rules can build one city, why not the whole country?

The Happiest Country On Earth Is Running Out Of Bhutanese

The Royal Government has just confirmed it will pay families Nu 10,000 a month (around USD 105) for every third child, because the birth rate has collapsed and the young will not stay. An editorial from the BhutanWiki Editorial Team on the Gross National Happiness brand versus the youth exodus, the TV and internet ban, the 1985 Citizenship Act and the Lhotshampa expulsion, and the policy machinery that produced both.

Civil Service of Bhutan

The civil service of Bhutan, governed by the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC), is the administrative backbone of the Royal Government, employing approximately 30,000 civil servants across ministries, departments, and local administrations in the twenty dzongkhags. Recruitment is merit-based through the nationally competitive Bhutan Civil Service Examination (BCSE), with career progression through a structured grade and pay system. The civil service faces ongoing challenges including brain drain to the private and international sectors, the tension between political neutrality and government responsiveness, and the E2B (Executive to Backbone) reform initiative aimed at creating a leaner, more effective bureaucracy.

Gelephu Mindfulness City: Environmental Impact

An analysis of the environmental implications of Gelephu Mindfulness City, a 2,500 km² development in southern Bhutan adjacent to Royal Manas National Park and Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary. Concerns include impacts on tiger and elephant corridors, flood risk on alluvial floodplains, tropical heat, water resource demands, and potential contradictions with Bhutan's carbon-negative status.

Tax and incentive regime of Gelephu Mindfulness City

The fiscal framework of Gelephu Mindfulness City, which since 2025 has operated a tax system distinct from the rest of Bhutan, with a 17 per cent headline corporate rate, zero capital gains and dividend tax, sector-specific zero-tax holidays, USD-denominated assessment, and a separate customs and sales-tax regime.

Government of Bhutan

The Government of Bhutan operates as a democratic constitutional monarchy established by the Constitution of 2008. Executive power is exercised by the Lhengye Zhungtshog (Council of Ministers) headed by the Prime Minister, while the Druk Gyalpo (King) serves as head of state. Legislative authority is vested in the bicameral Parliament, comprising the National Assembly and the National Council.

Chorten

A chorten (Dzongkha and Tibetan mchod rten, "receptacle of offering") is the Bhutanese form of the Buddhist stupa: a religious-architectural monument that serves as a reliquary, a meditation symbol and a focus of pilgrimage. Chortens are among the most numerous and visible religious structures in Bhutan, found on hilltops, mountain passes, river confluences and at the entrances of villages, dzongs and temples.

Governance of Gelephu Mindfulness City

The administrative and legal structure of Gelephu Mindfulness City, a Special Administrative Region in southern Bhutan headed by a board chaired by the King, with Dasho Dr Lotay Tshering as Governor and a leadership drawn largely from Singapore and international business.

Youth Discontent and Brain Drain in Bhutan

Bhutan has experienced a significant exodus of young, educated citizens since the early 2020s, with over 65,000 Bhutanese — approximately 9% of the population — living or working abroad by 2025, primarily in Australia. Driven by youth unemployment exceeding 29%, limited economic opportunities, and low wages, the emigration wave has created critical labor shortages in education and healthcare, raising questions about the sustainability of the GNH development model.

Bhutan's High-Income Country Goal (2034)

Bhutan has set an ambitious target to achieve high-income country status by 2034, requiring its GDP to double from approximately USD 2.5 billion to USD 5 billion by 2029 and to USD 10 billion by 2034. The Asian Development Bank approved USD 15 million in December 2025 for banking and capital markets reform to support this vision, while rural poverty remains at 17.5 per cent and youth emigration poses structural challenges.

Telecommunications in Bhutan

Telecommunications in Bhutan has undergone a dramatic transformation since the introduction of television and the internet in 1999. From a country with no modern communications infrastructure until the 1960s, Bhutan now has mobile penetration exceeding 90 percent, expanding 4G LTE coverage, and ambitious plans for 5G deployment and digital governance.

Legal framework of Gelephu Mindfulness City

Gelephu Mindfulness City is a Special Administrative Region whose Royal Charter of 2024 vests executive, legislative and independent judicial power in the GMC Authority. Its Application of Laws Act 2024 adopts around 18 Singaporean statutes and 10 Abu Dhabi Global Market financial regulations, creating a common-law-influenced commercial legal system distinct from Bhutan's national civil-law order.

Tax System of Bhutan

Bhutan's tax system comprises personal income tax (progressive rates from 0% to 30%), business income tax (22% standard corporate rate under the Income Tax Act 2025), customs duties, sales tax (transitioning to a 5% GST from January 2026), property transfer tax, and green tax. The system has undergone significant modernisation, with the Income Tax Act 2025 replacing the 2001 framework, and the Fiscal Incentives Act 2021 providing targeted exemptions.

Gelephu Mindfulness City

Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) is a planned special administrative region of approximately 2,500 square kilometres in Sarpang Dzongkhag, southern Bhutan. Announced by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on 17 December 2023 and established by Royal Charter on 13 February 2024, it is masterplanned by Bjarke Ingels Group and intended as a carbon-negative economic hub governed by a hybrid legal system drawn from Singaporean and Abu Dhabi law.