Press-release – Ministry of Information and Communications

Press Release:MoIC Receives PPE from JICA Bhutan Office

September 11, 2021 .

On behalf of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Mr. Kozo Watanabe, Chief Representative of JICA Bhutan Office handed over 1000 face shields and 4000 face masks to the Hon’ble Lyonpo Karma Donnen Wangdi, Minister of Ministry of Information and Communications yesterday at MoIC, Thimphu, in presence of the Hon’ble Secretary and other officials from MoIC and JICA.

The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be distributed to frontline workers under the Department of Air Transport and Road Safety Transport Authority. Lyonpo thanked JICA for extending the support and further, the Hon’ble Minister and Mr. Kozo Watanabe took the opportunity to discuss the project proposal for health data analytics which will also set up the health data bank, medical data bank, and bio data bank. The project is the first of its kind with the potential for creating one of the world’s leading health and medical databases. The database can also be used for medical and pharmaceutical research which will become the basis for personalized medicine and preventive measures including early detection. The project also leans on the technological evolution taking place and how data will be generated through personal devices and life course data will be captured for individuals. The data will be linked to the digital ID of each citizen.

The equipment was handed over as part of the utilization of the outputs for creating awareness on the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) developed through the Project for Development of BCP for Disaster Control. The activities include expanding the experience gained in creating BCP through technical cooperation with Bhutan Telecom to BBS, airport staff, Road Safety Officials, emergency response volunteers, and other frontline responders. The Chief Representative stated that JICA highly appreciates the contribution of all the front-line workers working tirelessly towards keeping us all safe.

Contact Person : Ms. Pema Chetsho

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Press Release:International Music Festival

July 28, 2021 .

The International Music Festival was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Lyonpo, Karma Donnen Wangdi, Minister of the Ministry of Information and Communications on 28th July 2021 organized by Hidden Kingdom World Music Festival. The event was the first of its kind, being organized in Bhutan and will be held from 28th to 31st July 2021 virtually.

The Department of Information and Media, MoIC is supporting the event as it’s the first virtual edition of the annual international music festival to showcase the talents of Bhutanese artists on the international platform and collaborate with the world renowned artists.

Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival will be held virtually with participants from 18 different countries including Bhutan. It will be streamed live through HKWMF’s Facebook page and YouTube channel from 6 – 8 PM for four days.

Celebrating World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

May 17, 2020 .

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) joins the rest of the world in celebrating “World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD)” 2020.

This year the theme of the celebration is “Connect 2030: ICTs for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. The theme “Connect 2030: ICTs for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” will allow ITU membership to reflect on the ICT advances for transition to smart and sustainable development. It will focus on specific ICT-enabled solutions and emerging trends for fostering economic, environmental and social sustainability, contributing to the five strategic goals of the Connect 2030 Agenda: Growth, Inclusiveness, Sustainability, Innovation and Partnership. (Source: ITU’s Website)

Bhutan as a member of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has been celebrating WTISD every year on 17th of May to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as bridge the digital divide.

On this special occasion, MoIC would like to revisit His Majesty the King’s address to the graduates of Royal Institute of Management (RIM) in 2019. His Majesty said, “Being a small nation makes us a smart nation, this is not out of choice but out of necessity. Technology is an indispensable tool that will be necessary to realise this aspiration.”

Since the Internet was first launched in 1999, Bhutan has come a long way in terms of information technology and telecommunication. Today the Telecom Service Providers(TSPs) and Internet Service Providers(ISPs) of Bhutan are providing Telecom and Internet services to some of the remotest parts of the country. Especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic period, when everyone is required to maintain social and physical distance, the role of ICT is ever more pronounced. It has become the sole medium for communications, learning and entertainment. For instance, despite the schools and institutes being closed, students are able to access their lessons through social media platforms and online education platforms. Further,
government and non government institutions are continuing to provide public services online. Businesses and enterprises are utilizing e-commerce to continue serving customers.

Despite applauding the success so far, it is also crucial to reflect on works yet to be achieved in ICT to truly realise His Majesty the King’s vision of a ‘SMART BHUTAN’. While the majority of the students are able to access online classes, let us remind ourselves that there are still a substantial number of students who do not have access to these services. The mobile network is the primary channel for accessing the Internet in Bhutan. This is not able to cater to the abnormal increase in demand. Ideally we need to provide fiber and wireless connections that are more resilient to sudden increase in demand and would make us ready for deploying future technologies. The ministry commits to work tirelessly to enhance the capacity of this critical infrastructure to fulfill His Majesty’s vision for Bhutan.

In addition, coinciding with the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, the MoIC would like to announce the result of the National Website Competition for the year 2019-2020. The winner of the website competition is the Ministry of Work and Human Settlements, and the Ministry of Finance and Election Commission of Bhutan are first and second runners up.

Hence, let us take this day to not only celebrate the success of ICT development in the country but also to reflect and plan for further development of the sector. The MoIC would like to wish everyone a Happy World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD).

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Press Release:Hon’ble Minister at ITU Telecom World 2019

September 15, 2019 .

Bhutanese delegation, led by Hon’ble Minister for Information and Communications, Lyonpo Karma D. Wangdi, attended the Ministerial Roundtable Meeting at the ITU Telecom World, Budapest, Hungary from 9^th – 12^th September 2019.

1.Press Release:Ministerial Roundtable Meeting

Hon’ble Minister thanked the Ministerial Commissioner of ITU & Secretary of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Hungary for all the logistic arrangements and congratulated for the grand success on hosting the ITU Telecom World 2019.