During the 5th Sitting, the National Council conducted a Question Hour Session with His Excellency Lyonchen Tshering Tobgay. On behalf of the House, Hon’ble Jamyang Namgyal raised questions regarding the criteria used to assess agency performance under the 13th Five-Year Plan (FYP) midterm review, whether these were based on expenditure efficiency, output delivery, or a combination of both. He also sought clarification on which of the eight national outcomes and 34 outputs under the 13th FYP had been revised, merged, or identified as unachievable following the midterm review. Further, he inquired whether there had been any changes in resource allocation to Local Governments after the midterm review, and what measures had been taken to address the persistent shortage of human resources in Local Governments.

In response, the Hon’ble Prime Minister stated that Bhutan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is projected to reach USD 6 billion by 2029, surpassing the earlier baseline projection of USD 5 billion under the 13th FYP. He attributed this positive outlook to the government’s focus on key sectors including hydropower, tourism, agriculture and livestock, private sector development, and industrial growth. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that these initiatives would support Bhutan’s aspiration of becoming a High-Income GNH Economy by 2034.

The Prime Minister further highlighted that the Midterm Review of the 13th Five-Year Plan was conducted ahead of schedule to identify challenges at an early stage and make necessary revisions to strengthen implementation. He also noted that major initiatives such as the Gelephu Mindfulness City project and the Diamond Strategy were incorporated into the Plan.

On the issue of performance assessment, the Prime Minister explained that the criteria were based on both effective utilization of expenditure and delivery of outcomes. For agencies and organizations, the assessment considered work performance, achievement of key performance indicators under the 13th FYP, and overall contribution to national objectives. He added that the government would continue to address implementation challenges through budgetary support from the Ministry of Finance and by coordinating with the Royal Civil Service Commission to deploy human resources where required.

The Prime Minister also informed the House that the eight national outcomes and 34 outputs identified under the 13th Five-Year Plan remain achievable. Following the completion of the Midterm Review, the government, would further assess resource requirements and strengthen support to local governments to ensure successful implementation of the Plan. Tomorrow, the House is scheduled to continue deliberation on the Tobacco (Amendment) Bill, 2026