Bhutan farmers to get comms help

Rural areas of Bhutan are to benefit from improved communications thanks to a scheme backed by the government and a number of international organisations and IT companies. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Microsoft and the Indian government have already helped to set up 36 community telecentres in rural areas, reports local news portal Kuensel Online. Five new centres are now due to be built with assistance from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The centres are constructed under the management of the Bhutan government’s Department of Information and Technology.