The House unanimously adopted the Civil Society Organization (Amendment) Bill 2021 today, inclusive of the provisions to provide adequate human resources and financial support to the CSO Authority. The Bill was introduced and deliberated during the 4th Sitting of the House.

The House also unanimously adopted the Supplementary Budget Appropriation Bill for the FY 2020-21 along with the recommendation to the government to set a clear and specific Non-Performing Loan (NPL) target ratio rather than setting a wide range below the current NPL ratio of 24% which is already very high.

Likewise, the Budget Appropriation Bill for the FY 2021-22 was also unanimously adopted along with the recommendations to allocate financial support towards addressing social issues; support and compensate farmers for crop and livestock damages; ensure the legal framework for the mining sector is in line with the Constitution; and allocate adequate budget for the ongoing construction of secondary national highway from Haa Jyenkhana to Sombayka. The House also endorsed the Annual Financial Statement for the FY 2019-20.

There were 21 members present and voting.

Interim Review Report on Suicide and Mental Health Issues in Bhutan

While presenting the Interim Review of Suicide and Mental Health Issues in Bhutan to the House, the Social and Cultural Affairs Committee reported that the review was undertaken to assess the situation of suicide and mental health issues in Bhutan and determine their root causes; and to strengthen preventive and treatment programs.

The committee highlighted that the major risk factors for suicide include mental disorder, especially depression, and neurological disorders, cancer and HIV infection. The Committee also highlighted that Bhutan was ranked 54th in the world in terms of deaths by suicides in 2018. It reported that from 2018-2020, a total of 283 Bhutanese took their own lives, with 95 suicide cases recorded in 2020 alone. Likewise a total of 623 cases of mental disorders were recorded in 2020.

The committee reported that during 2018-20, Samtse Dzongkhag recorded the highest number of suicides (39), followed by Thimphu (36) and Sarpang (31) Dzongkhags. During 2015 - 2019, the highest number of mental illness recorded were anxiety (7,500), followed by mental disorders due to alcohol use (5,748), depression (3,377), psychosis (1,634) and mental disorders due to substance use (1,342).

The committee also emphasized the challenges of inadequate and weak policy and legislation overseeing the suicide and mental issues; limited budget and human resources; lack of communication and coordination amongst stakeholders; limited rehabilitation centers; lack of mental health literacy; and associated stigma and discrimination, that impede the prevention and treatment of suicide and mental health issues in Bhutan.

After the presentation, the House deliberated on the report and members provided suggestions and recommendations to further enhance and develop the report.

The committee will present the final report during the 28th Session of the National Council.

Adoption of CSO (Amendment) Bill 2021 and Budget Bills

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