Bhutan Financial News

Pertin could never shake off the story his father had told him as a child. The elder Pertin was hunting the Mishmi takin—an elusive goat-antelope species—on the perilous heights of the Eastern Himalayas when he chanced upon the debris of a crashed aircraft. Years later, as the younger Pertin was finding it hard doing shifting cultivation at Damro village near the Yamne River in Upper Siang district in Arunachal Pradesh, that story came back to him as a business idea. Why not retrace his father’s steps, find the fabled plane, salvage some metal and sell it in the bustling Pasighat market, roughly 60 km downstream?

Turbli.com, which analyzed over 10,000 routes connecting 550 of the world’s largest airports, here are some of the most turbulent flight routes in 2024.

India Meteorological Department (IMD), authorities have said, citing restrictions on non-essential foreign travel at government expense. Mominul Islam, the acting director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), on Friday confirmed receiving the invitation from the IMD a month ago, saying: «The India Meteorological Department invited us to their 150th anniversary celebrations. We maintain good relations and continue to collaborate with them.» «However, we are not going to the event as there is an obligation to limit non-essential foreign trips funded by the government,» Islam told bdnews 24. He emphasised the regular contact between the two agencies, noting his recent visit to India on December 20, 2024, for a separate meeting with Indian meteorologists.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Kati Patang Lifestyle, a maker of craft beer that recently listed on the exchanges through a share swap, plans to scale up operations and become an incubator by adding small alcohol businesses to its portfolio. The New Delhi-based company will expand its business, both organically and inorganically, in the next two years, co-founder Shantanu Upadhyay toldMint.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian extended condolences on the passing of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, praising him as a great leader of India and a key supporter of the strong relations between India and Iran.

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on Saturday attended the funeral of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, a day after leading the Himalayan nation in offering prayers for the Indian leader at a Buddhist monastery in Thimphu.

China Sea to Himalayan frontiers, Beijing’s methodical approach has left neighbouring countries scrambling to respond. China shares its border with more than a dozen countries and it has had border disputes with at least six of them over the past few years. On its border disputes with its neighbors, China has mostly gone unchallenged, gradually pushing its salami-slicing strategy forward. But 2024 was a turning point: India was the first country in past few decades to decisively stop China in its tracks and refuse to yield to its tried-and-tested game. India’s resistance proved to be a firm message that China’s expansionist ambitions can't always go unchecked.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest software service provider, expanded partnership with Bank of Bhutan, the largest commercial bank of Bhutan, to modernise the bank’s digital core for enhanced customer service, the company informed the stock exchanges. The financial and other details of the deal were not disclosed. TCS said in a statement that it will implement its banking software platform TCS BaNCS to help the bank optimise operations and integrate with the various public services within the digital ecosystem of the country.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: Robust sales growth recorded by the Indian government’s generic pharmacy model will put pressure on trade margins in the retail medicine market because of the affordability and quality of the drugs sold, a top official said. The quality certified generic medicines sold at kendras (centres) operating under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) help to moderate the prices of medicines and create a benchmarking effect, Arunish Chawla, secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, said in an interview toMint.

Hinduja Group firm IIHL for acquisition of debt-ridden Reliance Capital Ltd (RCAP), sources said. DPIIT approval was required as some of the shareholders of IndusInd International Holdings Ltd (IIHL) are residents of Hong Kong, a special administrative region controlled by China. According to Press Note 3, if an entity from a nation sharing a land border with India (China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, and Afghanistan), or if a citizen or permanent resident of any such country is the beneficial owner of an investment in India, they are required to pursue investment through the government approval route. According to sources, the green signal from the DPIIT will help take forward the resolution plan submitted by Mauritius-based IIHL, which emerged as the successful bidder by submitting Rs 9,861-crore bid for the debt-ridden financial firm.

Indian Army hosted a Graziers’ Mela under the “Vibrant Village Zemithang”. The event took place in the border village of Nelya, situated at a stunning altitude of 10,000 feet amongst the snow-capped peaks of Zemithang, along the Indo-Tibet and Indo-Bhutan borders on November 11 . This unique gathering aimed to revive and support the centuries-old practice of cattle grazing—a tradition that has sustained generations of the local community. Each grazing season, these resilient graziers journey across international borders in search of lush pastures for their cattle. However, with changing socio-economic and geopolitical landscapes, fewer people are able to sustain this age-old way of life.

Darranga (Assam): The first Integrated Check Post (ICP) along the India-Bhutan border was inaugurated at Darranga in Assam on Thursday, officials said.

Gautam Adani is exploring investment opportunities in Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City, a new urban project aimed at transforming the southern region of the Himalayan kingdom into a thriving economic hub. Gelephu Governor Lotay Tshering told Bloomberg, Bhutan is engaging with the Adani Group, led by Asia's second-richest individual, to develop solar and hydroelectric plants within this ambitious 1,000-square-kilometer township near the Indian border. Bhutan’s investment initiative underscores its long-standing alliance with India, which views Bhutan’s growth as strategic for countering China’s influence in the region. This partnership offers Adani Group a chance to bolster its green energy portfolio, aligning with its existing international projects across Israel, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. Governor Tshering, who served as Bhutan’s Prime Minister until 2023, revealed that hundreds of sites have been identified for renewable energy projects in the Gelephu area. With an estimated capacity addition of 20 gigawatts, the project aims to establish a sustainable energy network. This includes planned contracts for constructing roads, bridges, and facilities that could attract investors from across Asia.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Over the past decade, if there’s one word that has become synonymous with business, it’s “renewables". Every major corporation, big or small, is rushing to claim its share of the green energy pie.

World Bank report has highlighted the persistent gender disparity in employment across South Asia, with women experiencing a significant decline in labor force participation post-marriage, often referred to as a "marriage penalty." In India, female employment rates drop by 12 percentage points after marriage, about one-third of the pre-marital employment level, even in the absence of children. Meanwhile, men gain a 13-percentage-point employment premium upon marriage, although this advantage gradually erodes after five years. “This marriage penalty among women without children persists up to five years after the wedding in India and Maldives,” the report states, attributing the trend to deep-rooted social norms. In addition to the marriage penalty, women also face a “child penalty,” as caregiving responsibilities often push them out of the workforce.

Reliance Power and Reliance Infrastructure will be in focus on Thursday as the Anil Ambani-run group announced that it will develop solar and hydroelectric power projects in Bhutan. The conglomerate said that will partner with Druk Holding and Investments Ltd. (DHI), the commercial and investment arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan, to jointly develop 500 MW of Solar and 770 MW of Hydropower projects in Bhutan.

TAFE) is locked in a legal battle with US agricultural machinery manufacturer AGCO Corporation regarding the use of tractor brand Massey Ferguson in India. On Monday, NYSE-listed AGCO ‘terminated’ several agreements with TAFE, including the licence agreement of the Massey Ferguson brand in the Indian subcontinent despite a stay order from the Madras High Court, prompting the Indian company to file a contempt of court petition against the former. The latest development follows more than six decades of a commercial relationship between the two companies that has since turned sour.

Global South deserves a permanent seat at the UN Security Council, Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay has said. He also expressed «deepest» gratitude to India for its «support and friendship» for his country's journey of graduating from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category. «The United Nations must evolve to meet the realities of today's world. The Security Council, as it stands, is a relic of the past. We need a Council that reflects the current geopolitical, economic landscape and social realities,» Tobgay said in his address to the General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly on Friday.

minimum import price condition from Bhutan through land customs stations (LCS) of Hatisar (Odisha) and Darranga (Assam) also, the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification. In September 2022, the government allowed the import of 17,000 tonnes of green areca nut without minimum import price (MIP) condition from Bhutan every year. In 2017, the government imposed MIP at Rs 251 per kg to safeguard domestic farmers. In 2018, imports of areca nut in any form were allowed if the price was over Rs 251 per kg.

Sam is a financial journalist with a focus on cryptocurrency market news, based in London. With a Master’s Degree in Development Management from the London School of Economics, Sam’s passion for...