Trong Gewog

Bank of Bhutan system failure and RMA penalty (2026)

In early 2026, an IT system migration at the Bank of Bhutan caused approximately Nu 1.46 billion to be mistakenly credited to a single customer's account. The Royal Monetary Authority subsequently imposed a penalty of Nu 228.46 million on the bank for compliance and reporting failures, while the Royal Bhutan Police opened a criminal investigation under the Penal Code. As of mid-April 2026, no court judgement had been issued.

2025 Deportation Crisis (Bhutanese Americans)

Beginning in March 2025, the United States government arrested and deported dozens of Bhutanese refugees under expanded immigration enforcement policies enacted by the second Trump administration. By mid-2025, ICE had arrested at least 60 Bhutanese Americans across multiple states and deported more than 50 to Bhutan, which refused to accept them, leaving deportees stranded and stateless. The crisis prompted community mobilisation, legal challenges, congressional engagement, and international advocacy.

Climate of Bhutan

The climate of Bhutan spans tropical lowlands to permanent ice within about 170 kilometres north to south, producing three broad zones — subtropical southern foothills, temperate central valleys and alpine north — each with distinct temperature and rainfall regimes. The country is dominated by the Indian summer monsoon, holds constitutionally mandated forest cover above 60 per cent, and is documented as carbon-negative, yet is also among the world's most exposed high-mountain states to warming, glacial retreat and glacial lake outburst floods.

Bhutanese Archery Rituals

Beyond its sporting form, Bhutanese archery (datse) is enveloped by a network of rituals: women's songs and taunting dances, the blessing of bows and arrows, invocations of warrior deities and the ceremonial drinking of ara. These elements distinguish village archery matches from international competitive archery.

Bhutan Paralympic Committee

The Bhutan Paralympic Committee, established in 2017, is the national body responsible for developing disability sport in Bhutan and fielding athletes at the Paralympic Games. Bhutan made its Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

Child Care and Protection Act of Bhutan 2011

The Child Care and Protection Act of Bhutan 2011 is the country's foundational child rights legislation, enacted to align domestic law with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It sets the framework for juvenile justice, child protection services and the work of the National Commission for Women and Children.

Trulku Jigme Choedra

Trulku Jigme Choedra (born 5 August 1955) is the 70th Je Khenpo of Bhutan, head of the Zhung Dratshang or Central Monastic Body since 1996. He is the longest-serving holder of the office in modern Bhutanese history and one of the two highest-ranking authorities under the dual system of governance.

Taktsang Monasteries of Bhutan

Taktsang ("tiger's lair") is a class of cliffside hermitages across Bhutan associated with the meditation of Guru Padmasambhava and his consorts. While Paro Taktsang is the most famous, the network includes Singye Dzong in Lhuentse, Taktsang Pema Tsel in Bumthang and several smaller sites.

Amochhu River

The Amochhu, also called the Toorsa or Torsa, is the westernmost major river of Bhutan. Rising in the Chumbi Valley of Tibet, it flows through Haa and Samtse before entering West Bengal as the Torsa, draining a sparsely populated and steeply incised western corridor.

Wangchhu River

The Wangchhu, known as the Raidak below the Bhutanese border, is the principal river of western Bhutan. Rising in Tibet and flowing through Thimphu and Chukha before entering West Bengal, it has been the backbone of Bhutan's hydropower programme since the 1980s.

Manas River

The Manas River, called Manas Chhu or Drangme Chhu in its upper Bhutanese reaches, is the largest river system of eastern Bhutan, formed by the confluence of the Drangme Chhu, Mangde Chhu and Bumthang Chhu before flowing south into Assam to join the Brahmaputra.

Civil Society Organisations Act of Bhutan 2007

The Civil Society Organisations Act of Bhutan 2007 is the legislative framework governing the registration, regulation and operation of non-governmental organisations in Bhutan. Enacted by the 87th session of the National Assembly, it created the Civil Society Organisations Authority and distinguishes between Public Benefit Organisations and Mutual Benefit Organisations. The registered CSO sector is small, with around 50 PBOs and a smaller number of MBOs reflecting the constraints and ambitions of civil society in a young democracy.

Bhutan Premier League

The Bhutan Premier League (BPL) is the top tier of professional association football in Bhutan, established in 2012 by the Bhutan Football Federation. The league's champions qualify for the AFC Cup or, more recently, the AFC Challenge League. Paro FC has dominated the competition since 2019, winning seven titles to 2025.

Central Regional Referral Hospital, Gelephu

The Central Regional Referral Hospital (CRRH), Gelephu, is the principal tertiary-care facility for southern and south-central Bhutan, located in Gelephu in Sarpang dzongkhag. Upgraded from a district hospital to regional referral status in 2005 with 60 beds and expanded to 100 beds in 2007, it now operates as a 150-bed facility serving Sarpang, Tsirang, Dagana and Zhemgang.

Mongar Regional Referral Hospital

The Mongar Regional Referral Hospital, also known as the Eastern Regional Referral Hospital, is the principal tertiary-care facility for eastern Bhutan, located in Mongar town in Mongar dzongkhag. The 150-bed hospital was constructed with Government of India financial assistance and serves as the apex referral institution for six eastern dzongkhags and parts of Bumthang.

Druk PNB Bank

Druk PNB Bank Limited is a Bhutanese commercial bank, established in 2010 as a joint venture between Punjab National Bank of India (51 percent) and Bhutanese investors (49 percent). It was the first foreign-invested bank in Bhutan and the country's fourth licensed commercial bank, with branches in seven dzongkhag headquarters.

National Pension and Provident Fund (Bhutan)

The National Pension and Provident Fund (NPPF) is the autonomous statutory body that administers Bhutan's pension and provident fund schemes for civil servants, armed forces personnel and employees of state-owned and joint-sector corporations. Established as an autonomous agency in March 2000 and operationalised under the National Pension and Provident Fund Plan in July 2002, it is one of Bhutan's largest institutional investors, with total assets of Nu 65 billion and around 68,000 active members at the end of 2023.

Jigmi Yoezer Thinley

Lyonpo Jigmi Yoezer Thinley (born 9 September 1952) is a Bhutanese politician and former civil servant who served as the country's first democratically elected Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013, leading the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa party. He had previously held the rotating prime ministership under the Council of Ministers system in 1998–1999 and 2003–2004 and is internationally associated with the promotion of Gross National Happiness as a development framework.

Drametse Ngacham

The Drametse Ngacham, or Mask Dance of the Drums from Drametse, is a sacred masked dance performed at Ogyen Tegchok Namdroel Choeling Monastery in Drametse, Mongar dzongkhag. Originating in the early sixteenth century, it was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008, having first been proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.

Institute of Traditional Medicine Services (Bhutan)

The Institute of Traditional Medicine Services (ITMS), formerly the National Institute of Traditional Medicine, is the principal Bhutanese institution for the practice, training and pharmaceutical production of Sowa Rigpa traditional medicine. Established in stages from 1968, it operates a hospital and pharmaceutical laboratory in Thimphu and trains drungtshos and menpas through the Faculty of Traditional Medicine of Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan.