GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS (GNH):
Background of gross national happiness:
The development philosophy that “Gross national happiness (GNH)”was propounded by His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan, in the 1970s. He realized that the existing development paradigm-GDP-did not consider the ultimate goal of every human being happiness.
A Development Path With Value:
Since the 1970s Bhutan has pursued the GNH path undeterred, Bhutan’s constitution and thee government’s policy are based on the four pillars of GNH.
“Today’s GNH has come to mean so many thing to so many people ,but to me it signifies simply – development with values. Thus for the nation today GNH is the bridge between the fundamental values of kindness, equality and humanity and the necessary pursuit of economy growth. GNH acts as our National conscience guiding us towards making wise decisions for a better further”, said His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgye Wangchuck.
- * Declared at COP-16 that it would remain carbon neutral always;
- * Invested heavily in green hydropower;
- * Achieved more than 80%forest cover;
- * Protected 33%of the country in national parks or reserves for the benefit of wildlife.
- * Initiated GNH education in schools;
- * Begun the process off developing GNH accounting.
GNH Accounting:
Bhutan will create balanced GNH accounts for the country, and thereby built the world’s first comprehensive set of national accounts. Bhutan has started accounting property for all the country’s precious wealth-including natural, human, social, and cultural wealth- and it has stopped focusing narrowly on financial and manufactured wealth alone. Bhutan will be able thereby to reckon the true cost of economic activity, and be able to balance that activity with a proper accounting of natural, human, social, and cultural wealth, which are key pillars of gross national happiness.
GNH Inspires The World:
On 19 July 2011, the united nation(UN) general assembly unanimously adopted happiness as an independent goal for all countries. The UN is thus engaged in a process toward encouraging countries of the world to seek a more holistic approach to development . “happiness is now accepted by the international community as a timeless, shared vision that blinds all humanity together, rich and poor,” said Jigme Y. Thinley, former prime minister of Bhutan. In a follow up to this resolution, titled “happiness: Towards a holistic approach to depelopment”, the royal government of Bhutan held a high level meeting on “happiness and well being: Defining a new economic paradigm” on 2 April 2012 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. This summit was attended by a select but prsentativess, by all united nation missions, and by leading ,representing both develop of and developing nations. The head of several states now want to learn how GNH can inspire them on their development path. Canada, Brazil and France are among countries that have begun to integrate GNH into national politics as a more viable alternative to the focus on growth and (Gross Domestic Product)GDP.
VITAL STATISTICS
| GENERAL | |
| Area (sq.km) | 38,394sq.km |
| Administrative units (Nos.) | |
| Sub-district | 15 |
| Gewogs(blocks) | 205 |
| Currency | Ngultrum |
| National Language | Dzongkha |
| Health (Numbers) | |
| Hospitals | 32 |
| Basic health units: | 205 |
| Indigenous Dispensaries | 49 |
| Doctors | 203 |
| Sisters & Nurses | 799 |
| Doctors: Per 10,000 person | 2.8 |
| Persons per hospital bed | 574 |
| Health coverage (%) | 90 |
| Access to safe drinking water (%) | 98 |
TRAVEL INFORMATION
| From | To | Distance(km) | Driving Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paro | Thimphu | 55km | 2hours |
| Paro | Haa | 70km | 3hours |
| Thimphu | Phuntsholing | 180km | 6hours |
| Thimphu | Punakha | 70km | 3hours |
| Thimphu | Wangduephodrang | 76km | 3hours |
| Punakha | Gangtey | 70km | 3hours |
| Wangduephodrang | Trongsa | 129km | 5hours |
| Trongsa | Bumthang | 68km | 3hours |
| Gangtey | Trongsa | 125km | 4hour 30min |
| Bumthang | Monger | 198km | 6hours |
| Monger | Lhuntse | 76km | 3hours |
| Monger | Trashigang | 90km | 3hour 30min |
| Trashigang | Trashiyangtse | 52km | 1hour 30min |
| Trashigang | Samdrupjongkhar | 180km | 6hours |
ELEVATION OF THE PLACES
| Paro | 2,280m |
| Haa | 2,863m |
| Thimphu | 2,320m |
| Punakha | 1,300m |
| Wangduephodrang | 1,350m |
| Gangtey | 9,840m |
| Trongsa | 2,316m |
| Bumthang | 2,600m4000m |
| Monger | 1,620m |
| Trashigang | 1,151m |
| Trashiyangtse | 1,830m |
