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Details of the 13th Five-Year Plan have been released, with a total budget of more than N512 billion, a 63% increase over the 12th Five-Year Plan.
As details are being announced, we are looking at a massive plan that takes into account a 10-year strategic framework, looking ahead to the next 5 years. As announced by the Prime Minister, the 13th Five-Year Plan is crucial for Bhutan as the country is at a crossroads. Apart from the size of the plan, it is also a starting point for Bhutan to become Bhutan, not just By 2034, China will not only be a wealthy country, but also a high-income gross national happiness country.
The government says the plan is a transformative agenda to meet the multifaceted challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Many people will understand the plan because they have read the details and carefully studied the budget allocated to their areas of interest. Based on the document, we can surmise that the 13th Five-Year Plan is an inclusive plan that calls on all institutions, whether local or central, to be responsible for implementation, monitoring and accountability.
It is encouraging to see that even as we launch our largest programme in terms of budget size and activities, our development partners are supportive. We have reliable partners who are committed to furthering our priorities. This is welcome as many obstacles in our development path can be removed. For Bhutan’s small economy to grow, we need the support and commitment of our development partners.
There is a palpable optimism in the air. Bhutan is on its way from donor dependency to a high-income country. Bhutan’s priority is to achieve economic development, if not economic independence, which is the main goal, while understanding the importance of other priorities such as infrastructure, digitalization, agricultural development, health, education and tourism, which will be implemented in consultation with local governments, the private sector, farmers and government agencies.
The focus of the 13th Five-Year Plan is also aligned with addressing the major development challenges we face and transitioning to an economy that is sustainably prosperous. Earlier this year, we launched the Advancing a Green Growth Agenda initiative in line with this plan. Bhutan’s development has been guided by our philosophy of Gross National Happiness, demonstrating that economic growth can be achieved without harming the environment. The 13th Five-Year Plan aims to achieve a strategic shift in the implementation of Gross National Happiness to meet our changing needs and find a middle path for economic development.
However, as we start to implement activities, we will be watching closely to see how the new plan will change Bhutan. To the skeptics, these may not be new priorities. We have been building roads, talking about food self-sufficiency, energy, etc. since the first plan. What changes will happen will depend on the commitment of the government and its agencies to carry out the planned activities.
A good reference point is the flagship plan of the 12th Five Year Plan. After the initial hype, there were a lot of questions – we spent millions of dollars, what did we achieve? How is progress? Will these projects carry over into the current program or will new priorities overshadow flagship projects?
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