A small country of 680,000 inhabitants, the Kingdom of Bhutan is located in the Himalaya mountains on the eastern border of India, and is the only country in the world to measure the happiness of their country like most countries measure their gross domestic product.

Costa Rica, which topped a list drawn up by the United Kingdom’s New Economics Foundation for being the country with the highest life satisfaction, is looking to Bhutan for tips on how to remain in first place.

Bhutan began measuring the happiness of its people in 2008. On a census distributed nationwide, the last question on the form was, “Are you happy?” a question which 97 percent answered affirmatively.

From that point, they began measuring their country’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) through a list of nine themes, including health, education, psychological wellbeing and time use.

“If you want to manage (happiness), you have to be able to measure it,” said Karma Tshiteem, secretary of the commission of GNH for Bhutan, who spoke at a forum in Costa Rica on Saturday afternoon.

He explained that the Bhutan government decided to track the happiness of its people in order to ensure the health of its nation. Seeing the world through GNH instead of GDP, he said, offers new opportunities for development as a country.

But how does one go about measuring happiness?

Bhutan has used nine variables (and 72 indicators) as a road map, studying nearly every aspect of its peoples’ lives. The index looks at how the Bhutanese spend their time, their level of involvement in cultural activities, their perception of the government and their sense of safety. The GNH commission asks such questions as, “How often do you feel frustrated?” a question which only a mere 4.6 percent answered “often.” Another query was, “How often do you feel selfish?” to which less than 2.6 percent responded “often” and the large majority responded never.

Bhutan also looks at more common indicators to measure happiness, such as household income, life expectancy, literacy rate and environment.

In one study, the commission learned that less than 10 percent spend time in meditation, an issue the commission hopes take action on by introducing meditation in schools.

Tshiteem said it’s too early to tell whether the work of the three-year-old GNH commission has had an effect on the lives of its people.

Asked what advice he has for Costa Rica, Tshiteem responded that many of the measurements and much of the priorities his country has undertaken are not foreign to Costa Rica.

Pointing to Costa Rica’s slogan “Pura Vida,” he said, “The things we are talking about, Costa Rica is doing.”

Audience members expressed interest in measuring the GNH of Costa Rica.

By Chrissie Long
Tico Times Staff | clong@ticotimes.net (Source: www.ticotimes.net)

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The ban succeeded in inflating the price of tobacco products, but achieved little in restricting its inflow. Tobacco has been smuggled into the country in myriad of ways, some ingenious. And the ban could not match the ingenu­ity of the people. There is no assurance that the same thing will not happen again.

The law-makers have at­tributed the failure to im­proper implementation. But the truth might be that the ban itself was lopsided. It is not il­legal for people to use tobacco products; only selling is an offence. This elicited failure.

One need not be an econo­mist to see the marketability of an item dictated by its de­mand It is not the sellers who force people to buy but the buyers who persuade them to sell. As long as demand exists, sellers may go to any length to sell it. Therefore, the prison penalty, which is meant to intimidate people, may not be the ultimate solution. At any rate, three to five- year prison term seems a little irrational considering the gravity of the crime.

It appears as though we, in Bhutan, are short of reasons to send people to prison. If the implementation should happen as resolved, a time will come when our prisons will be filled to the limit. There will be a dire need to build more pris­ons making the government bear greater financial implica­tion than the ban itself.

Tobacco is a big killer. No one can argue that. But it is for an individual to decide wheth­er one should use it or not. If people wish to smoke even after realizing it is injurious to their health, so be it. Everyone has the right to compass his own end. It looks like the ban infringes into the personal choice of the people.

If tobacco should be banned because it is injurious to health, what about the vehicle fumes that we inhale more abundantly everyday? Should we put a ban on the use of vehicles? Should we censor every other bad thing that we see before us?

It is time we realize that putting a ban on something is not the solution. If the past is anything to learn from, it is clear that such restrictions and censorships have been more like toothless tigers, impotent but tiger all the same. What has happened to the plastic ban that we took pride in? Is it still in force? We can still see plenty of plastics around.

There are plenty of other things that should keep us oc­cupied. There are schools and hospitals to be built; roads and bridges to be made; poor and the jobless to be helped; and the environment and other areas to be cared for. Amid all these, one cannot fully fathom what necessitates the ban­ning of a thing as mundane as tobacco. Everyone knows that the ban on tobacco failed once before. So why waste time and energy all over again? No matter how genuinely we are concerned about the benefits of our people, if things are not dealt with the right approach failure becomes inevitable.Which place have we heard about where people do not use tobacco?

If we can make our coun­try completely tobacco-free, that is good. But that is just a wishful thinking. The idea itself sounds preposterous. Therefore, trying out some­thing pragmatic like imposing higher taxes may prove more propitious.

The agencies could increase the taxes to 200 percent, or even 300 percent. This will naturally cut down the num­ber of users as many would not want to squander their income on something that brings little good in the end, and at the same time would at least give something to the government’s coffers.

We could find new and bet­ter ways to educate the people about the ills of abusing to­bacco, so that people willingly discontinue the habit without any imposition. Or else, the ban on tobacco will be nothing more than an attempt to attain the unattainable

By SonamPalden (BhutanObserver)

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State of Biodiversity

From the data collected so far; the recorded number of vascular plant species is 5603, the recorded number of bird species is 616, and the recorded number of mammal species is 198. Among globally threatened species there are 14 bird species and 26 mammal species. According to the IUCN red list, from the mammals and birds discovered so far, the Pygmy Hog is critically endangered and 14 are vulnerable. So it is quite richly populated though not much research has been done on reptiles, amphibians, fungi, insects and plants. Bhutan today still has a forest cover of 72.5% of which 8% is cultivable. Threats to the continued integrity of Bhutan’s natural resource base are increasingly being felt from a variety of “developmental” sources, including infrastructural construction, industrial expansion, increasing urbanization and the growth of tourism. The effects of development on the environment cannot be taken out as a separate slice and looked into, since to understand the way development started and has shaped, backed by the vision and the philosophies of sustainable development and GNH, it is essential to understand these when looking into the picture of Bhutanese development.Gross National Happiness is a planning and policy tool that guides all developmental activities in the country.

Bhutanese Economy

Tuner in 1783 said “That the absence of money in a society excludes, in a proportionate degree, depravity of morals and vices of various kinds, is in some measure exemplified in Bhutan.” If you have a look at the story from the lens of money or economy, Bhutan is considered an LDC (Least Developing Country), and its economy is one of the smallest in the world, hinging basically on four sectors; namely renewable natural resources, hydropower, tourism and industry. Bhutan is a predominantly agrarian society with 69% of the population living in rural areas and subsisting on an integrated livelihood system of crop agriculture, livestock rearing and use of a wide range of forest products.

GDP Growth

Bhutan has enjoyed strong economic growth performance with an average GDP growth rate of 6% a year, over the past two decades. This sustained growth has increased Gross National Income per capita to US$ 1,345.9 in 2006. In the 80s the GDP once used to be 51$ whereas the per capita GDP for 2006 is US$1, 414.01. Bhutan’s major exports include electricity, timber, cement, calcium chloride, ferro-alloys, agricultural and food products and handicrafts. The preliminary projections based on the Tenth Five Year Plan of the Royal Government of Bhutan indicate that GDP is anticipated to grow by 8-9% through the plan period July 2008 – June 2013. This growth appears very realistic considering the major infrastructure investments in hydropower development and the increased industrial growth expected with the new industrial estate at Pasakha taking off from mid 2008.

Hydropower

Power is literally Bhutan’s greatest asset. High precipitation, extensive forest cover and well-preserved watersheds have endowed the country with abundant hydropower resources. The Department of Energy has estimated the country’s hydropower potential at about 30,000 megawatts.

The total hydropower sale from major hydropower projects is Nu. 16,872 million (2005-2008). The 114 MW Dagachhu Hydropower project is being promoted as a potential CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) project with certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) benefits to be shared between India and Bhutan. Apart from being the main socio-economic driver, hydropower is viewed as an essentially clean source of energy and as a means of reducing the country’s dependence on traditional solid fuels like fuel-wood and coal, which are environmentally damaging. As a major source of revenue, hydropower development provides a strong economic rationale for environment conservation as its sustenance depends on the sustainable management of the watersheds. Hydropower development also imposes environmental and social costs if proper care is not taken during implementation of the projects. Environment impact assessments are mandatory but construction of dams, development of associated infrastructure such as accessible roads, construction of power transmission and distribution lines have a bearing on land stability and biodiversity.

Industrial Development

Development of industries is critical for employment generation and economic development. However, demographic and biophysical factors inhibit the prospect of further large-scale industrial development in Bhutan. The concept of large-scale industrial development is in direct conflict with the country’s fragile ecosystem and limited usable land. Industries contribute not only economically but also pollute the air, water, and generate hazardous waste and land degradation. The proportion of operational industrial licenses belonging to the large-scale units was 1.5 %( 2006) and that of operational industrial licenses belonging to production and manufacturing sector was 8.5 % (2006). The potential for future lies in the development of small scale and cottage industries based on sustainable management of cultural and natural endowments such as hand woven textiles using natural dye and organically produced food and medicinal products.

Tourism and Environment

With a daily tariff with anything between 240$-290$ depending on the season the tourism industry’s average annual earning is US$ 9.8 Million. The Royal Government of Bhutan has adopted a high value approach to tourism development in the country through high tariff structures and operational regulations. The peak tourist arrival was in 2006 with 17,344 tourists visiting which generated a peak annual earning of US$ 23.9 million. This approach to tourism has so far served well in terms of limiting negative environment and social impacts. Because of better infrastructure the number of tourists keeps increasing ever year. Unregulated tourism can pose significant threats to the fragile mountain ecosystem and inadequacy in tourism related environmental management capacity in terms of trained guides and operators as well along with proper camping sites, waste management and sanitation facilities. In addition tourism may display opulence and materialism, negatively influencing local norms and values. Bhutan draws much of the exclusivity factor from the country’s well preserved culture and relatively untouched natural landscapes. It is extremely essential to preserve these not only to reap the benefits of tourism but also to keep alive nature and culture. Tourism and environment conservation cannot be mutually exclusive so the challenge is to harmonize both.

(The article is an excerpt from the writer’s thesis )

(Courtesy: BhutanTimes)

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For futher information on VAST bhuan please visit:   http://www.vast-bhutan.org/

(Courtesy: BusinessBhutan)

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Bhutanese consumers could soon end up paying higher rates for alcohol and foods classified as junk like carbonated drinks, potato chips, chocolates etc.

The Ministry of Finance along with its Department of Revenue and Customs are in the process of drawing up a list of alcohol and junk food products for taxation based on cabient instructions.

The Prime Minister Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley in a press conference said the government had identified a list of food items as junk that would impair the health of especially children and so would be taxed higher. He gave the example of soda water.

“The new taxation policy structure, which Lyonpo Wangdi Norbu will be reporting to the National Assembly, has differentiated what constitutes healthy consumer items and what constitutes items that will accelerate the kind of problem for Bhutan associated with life style diseases,” said Lyonchen.

“When Lyonchen has said that taxation should be there on these products to discourage their use, the tax will have to be more than moderate to do so,” said Nima Wangdi, finance ministry’s director general.  On the taxation structure the DG said the ministry had options of up to 150% tax.

The Director General said that all manufactured and processed food items that are addictive, fatty, unhealthy, having harmful chemicals like mono sodium and too much sugar would fall under the category of junk food.

He said a tentative list which could also change have so far included items like all cold drinks like Pepsi, Coco Cola; all potato chips like Lays, noodles like Maggi, Koka, Wai Wai, high sugar chocolates and soda water.

The Revenue and Customs Director Choyzang Tashi said, “Some junk food products mainly from Thailand and Bangladesh will also be on the list.”

On alcohol, the DG said that tax would have to be imposed on alcohol being produced in the country and also foreign liquor being imported into Bhutan.

However restaurants will not have to worry as the DG said that whatever they cook, restaurants already paid a Bhutan sales tax and so they would not be taxed on the kind of food they cooked.

He also said the fresh food and meat like those available at the farmers market would not be affected.

However finance ministry officials are already having some problems defining junk food.

“In the detailed list of customs we have no provisions or section of junk food and so we will have to come up with an exact definition but that may also be difficult as one man’s junk may be another man’s food and there would be differences of opinion,” said Nima Wangdi.

He said that there is also a high possibility that due to categorization problems, some food which may not necessarily be junk food but cannot be segregated could also come in the list. The ministry is also yet to set out how exactly would junk food be classified.

The DG also said that the finance ministry would not be taking any advice from doctors or from diet experts but would come out with the final list based on common sense.

On the implementation process, the final list is expected to be ready within a month. “We can implement these taxes either after this session or by the next session,” said the DG.

Choyzang Tashi said that once the list is in place, revenue and customs would check for all imported junk food at the borders and entry points into Bhutan and accordingly levy taxes.

There will also be no public consultation on the issue on deciding the list or the amount of taxes.

The prime minister said that this decision is in line with the philosophy of GNH promoting healthier lifestyle and emotional and physical well being of people. He said the government was also doing this through various policies like EDP and others that subscribe to GNH and that also avoid cultural and environmental destruction. He also gave the example of the tobacco ban.

(Source: Tenzing Lamzang, Business Bhutan)

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In other words, it’s going to be difficult to meet the government’s target of bringing in 100,000 dollar paying tourists by 2013, when the official tariff goes up from USD 200 to USD 250 a day.

Given the existing policy of ‘high value low volume’ tourism, USD 200 a day is generally seen as expensive, because it is assumed to be the cost of the daily visa fee.

It’s surprising that, even after all these years of opening up to tourism, most prospective tourists do not know that the USD 200 a day also covers the cost for food, lodge, transport and guide services. There’s a serious communication gap that needs to be bridged.

Still, the notion that tourists may decide to go some place else instead of coming to Bhutan because official tariffs have gone up by USD 50 does not sound convincing, when every blessed year Bhutan keeps featuring as one of the top tourist destinations in the world.

Whichever way one looks at it, Bhutan, by virtue of being what it is, does offer something unique that is not available anywhere else, starting from a living Buddhist culture to clean air. Such things have not been put in place to impress tourists – it’s just there – although keeping it that way has become the priority.

What the revised tariff does is throw a challenge to Bhutanese operators to drastically improve services. Poor service is turning out to be the curse of the Bhutanese tourism industry.

With royalty payable to the government remaining the same at USD 65, the revised tariff actually offers operators a chance to improve services, from food to tour packages, and at the same time make more, if looked at from an optimistic angle.

As it is, there are operators, who are bringing in tourists at USD 300 and more. What is it that they are offering, considering that the living culture and natural environment is there to be enjoyed by all?

Yet, as some sceptics rightly say, revising the tariff means little to a large majority of tour operators, who are in any case marketing Bhutan at rates much lower than the official USD 200 a day, compelling them to cut corners to make the margins.

Still, some operators have pointed out that the new tariff that will be applicable the whole year round would make it difficult to market Bhutan during the lean season, which today has a special concessional rate. If the numbers are to increase, it must happen during the lean season, because tourists are in any case willing to pay more than the official tariff during the season.

Something could be worked out on this, even as the government works to create other compelling reasons to visit Bhutan.

(Source: Editorial, Kuenselonline)

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For the first time, this Himalayan kingdom will host a summit of the eight-member grouping April 28-29. The summit will mark the 25th year of the establishment of the regional body.

The tourism sector has been a nonstarter in Bhutan due to limited resources and lack of infrastructure, although the country is endowed with beautiful landscapes and rich wildlife.

Bhutan now hopes more foreign tourists would visit this landlocked country after it gets wide publicity during the summit.

The authorities in Thimpu have already gone into a rigorous drive to upgrade the infrastructure in view of the international conference.

Markets, restaurants and hotels were renovated to show the warm hospitality of the people of Bhutan when the dignitaries would come here for the summit, Kinley Dorji, secretary at Information and Communication Ministry, told Xinhua.

The infrastructure that has been upgraded would serve the tourism sector in the future, he said.

According to National Statistics Bureau of Bhutan, tourist arrival in the country is increasing every year. In 2009, more than 28,000 tourists visited the country, compared to 27,636 in 2008.

‘Within three years, we are hoping to increase tourist arrival by three times to 100,000 annually,’ said Dorji.

Since 1947, Bhutan has followed a ‘high value, low volume’ tourism policy, he added.

Tourists’ arrival in the country has been within the capacity of its socio-cultural and natural environment to absorb visitors without negative impacts. Tourism is Bhutan’s largest commercial source of convertible currency earnings.

Source: Yahoo News

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“It will greatly enhance Bhutan’s international image as a sovereign, independent, responsible and equal member country,” said the prime minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley.This will be the first time that Bhutan will hold a conference where 8 heads of governments from Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives will be attending.
Bhutan had skipped the opportunity to host the SAARC summit three times on the ground of the country’s infrastructure. The summit will be in Thimphu with the currently proposed dates being from April 28 to 29, 2010.

“We are now prepared in terms of the administration, infrastructure and the foreign ministry being ready to host the summit,” said the Lyonchhoen.

The summit is also important for Bhutan since it is actually obligatory for each member state to host the summit. The 2010 summit was actually Maldives’s turn to host.
He said that the meeting would also allow for bilateral meetings with all the leaders of various countries, including India.
On his meeting with the Indian prime minister and other heads of state during the summit, he said, “We will discuss all matters of mutual interest, bilateral matters, relation, review, appraise each other of global and regional issues.”
He said that the summit would promote good neighbourly relations among SAARC countries, as different countries could meet and discuss.
“It is also like a coming of age for Bhutan,” said the prime minister. He said the leaders would be visiting a country that had successfully and peacefully made a transition to democracy inspired by His Majesty the King.

By Tenzing Lamsang (Kuenselonline)

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Department of geology and mines (DGM) identified tunnel sites

Pre-feasibility studies have already been done by DGM, indicating that they can be done. “The Wangdue/Punakha tunnels can decongest Thimphu and allow people to settle in these two valleys and also reduce the travel distance and time by around 40 km,” said DGM chief geologist, Ugyen Wangda.

DGM is considering the Norwegian geotechnical institute (NGI), regarded as one of the international pioneers in tunneling as its partner. NGI already has some ongoing projects with Bhutan that have to do with landslides and stabilisation of surfaces.

A NGI team is expected to visit Bhutan again on March 16 to carry out feasibility studies on the tunnels, especially on the Thimphu-Punakha/Wangdue route.

“NGI has the technical expertise to guide the construction of tunnels and is also looking for funding for these tunnels from the Norwegian government, which could be given as grant,” said Ugyen Wangda. He said that funding would make the difference from changing these concepts into reality.

According a department of roads engineer, the Norwegian government in 2005 had already assured NGI of fund to construct a one-kilometre tunnel to bypass the Jumja slide site, but the government did not take up the offer.

The DOR engineer said, “Dantak came forward and said they would take up the project, so the project money and technical assistance from Norway went back.”

Dantak officials, however, told Kuensel that there is currently no plan to build any tunnel at Jumja and that the project had been shelved.

A major challenge, according to DGM, will be the cost, as each km of tunnel would cost above Nu 200 mn.

Ugyen Wangda said that a priority for government is also in reducing the distance between north and south Bhutan like Thimphu-Phuentsholing.

A concept is a tunnel from Damchu near Chuzom till Ganalakha, which could reduce the 170 km distance between Thimphu and Phuntsholing to just 80 km, which in time is down from six to two hours.

“Though the costs will be huge, it’s economically worth it as marble deposits are running out in the south for cement industry but mountains of it are available in the north,” said Ugyen Wangda. The Transport Master plan till 2027 also identifies 12 tunnels to reduce distances.

Ugyen Wangda said that tunnels would be easier to build in the north and west of the country due to the hard and more stable rock face.

Explaining the technology behind tunnels, Ugyen Wangda, who did his thesis on Norwegian tunnels, said that, after the surveys, tunnel-boring machines would first bore the mountain. It would then be lined with heavy steel frames, concrete support and also rock bolting in required places.

“Unlike a hydropower tunnel, people will be travelling through the tunnels, so it’ll have to have very high safety standards” he said.

By: Tenzing Lamsang
Source: Kuenselonline

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