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Prime Minister Presents Annual State of the Nation Report to the Parliament

The Prime Minister Lyonchhen Dr. Lotay Tshering presented the Annual Report on the State of the Nation including legislative plans, annual plans and priorities of the Government to the Joint Sitting of the Parliament today as per article 10 (10) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The Report was presented in four sections, Section I - In Gratitude, Section II- The Past, Section III- The Present and SectionHealth and Section IV - The Future. 

The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to His Majesty the King for the benevolent leadership and foresight vision in fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic, Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen for the compassionate support to the volunteers throughout the pandemic,  to monastic body led by His Holiness the Je Khenpo and all the volunteers including the three Armed Forces, Desuups for their support during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Prime Minister reported that with regard to Health, the government endorsed the “Policy to Accelerate Mother and Child Health Outcome”, which is expected to strengthen and reduce disparity in Mother and Child Health Care.  In Education, the Prime Minister reported that ICT will be the third language for all classes starting next academic year and TVET is to be formalised in mainstream education.  The House was informed that a time bound strategic  education roadmap is also being developed and  the draft National Education Policy 2020 is also being finalised. 

With regard to the economy, the Prime Minister reported that the total expenditure approved for the fiscal year is Nu. 69151 million, of which current expenditure is Nu. 32900m and capital expenditure is Nu. 36, 251 million. A fiscal deficit of Nu. 15.3 billion  for the current fiscal year on account of the increased capital expenditure was  reported.  

The Prime Minister also reported that the 12 FYP is also being reprioritised to fulfill the objectives of import substitution, export promotion, employment generation and encouraging innovation and technology. It was also reported that the Gross National Happiness Commission and Ministry of Finance  is working on reforming the planning process to ensure there is no economic slowdown between government changeover. The House was informed that the GDP grew at 5.46 % in 2019 and was projected to grow at 6.9% however, due to the pandemic GDP has been  revised to be negative 6.1%. 

The Prime Minister also reported on future plans and achievements of the government in agriculture, tourism, construction, employment, foreign relations, women & children, public infrastructure, environment and culture of the Country.

To read the full Report, kindly click below: