Ancient Bhutan's New I.T. Boom

The last Himalayan Buddhist kingdom, Bhutan, and its king (pictured below) are intent on modernity for this once insular shangri-la (Reuters).

Bhutan may be derived from the Sanskrit Bhu-Utthan ("highlands"). In another theory of Sanskritization, Bhoṭa-anta means "At the end of Tibet," as Bhutan is immediately to Tibet's south. Historically, the Buddhist kingdom was known by many names, such as Southern Land of Darkness, of the Tsenden cypress, of Four Approaches, and of Medicinal Herbs). See History of Bhutan.

THIMPHU, (India Times) -- With a lightning fast broadband network, a soon-to-be operational IT park, and the recent Genpact deal, Bhutan is well on its way to an IT boom.

The agreement signed between the Bhutan government and leading BPO firm Genpact on June 8, 2009 will help alleviate the unemployment situation in the country, according to Labour and Human Resources Minister Dorji Wangdi.

"It's a major breakthrough for us. We'll need a lot of people trained for the IT sector. Developing an IT-based private sector is part of government policy to make Bhutan a major IT hub," said Labour and Human Resources Ministry Secretary Sonam Tenzin.

According to the agreement, Genpact will recruit 200 Bhutanese graduates every year to be trained and employed in India. After a period of two years, they will return to Bhutan with training and experience in business processes, ranging from call centres to financial services. Dorji said the batch identified by Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) will be sent for training and employment to India. The graduates will also undergo training in communications and analytical and reasoning skills.

This will ensure they are employable not only in the IT sector but other industries as well, said Sonam. Meanwhile, construction on Bhutan's first IT park is expected to be completed in two years. The government is currently establishing a broadband network that will link all 20 districts. According to Communications Minister Nandalal Rai, Bhutan's climatic condition and location are ideal for setting up operation centres. He said that Bhutan's English speaking population would facilitate the development of IT enabled services. Source