November 3 2011: With the first ever IT show in Bhutan, the tiny Himalayalan kingdom has made a bold bid to carve out its own space in the global IT solutions and services ecosystem. The ICT for GNH  conference held in the Bhutan capital Thimpu on October 31 focussed on how information and communication technologies can empower the nation to achieve the national aspiration of Gross National Happiness. The event opened with a talk by Bhutan’s Prime and was followed by the inauguration of Bhutan’s first LEED platinum IT park, Thimphu TechPark on 1st November 1. TTP is a 50,000 square feet IT-focused mixed use development spread over 5 acres, with scope for expansion over an additional 13 acres government land.

Some 50 IT leaders from India, Bangladesh, SriLanka, Nepal and Singapore attended the event. Here are links to two on-the-spot reports of the proceedings the first a Bhutan portal, the second,  the Indian peper, Deccan Chronicle
http://www.kuenselonline.com/2011/?p=20050
http://dcepaper.com/PUBLICATIONS/DC/DCB/2011/11/02/ArticleHtmls/Bhutan-finally-on-the-ICT-map-02112011013018.shtml?Mode=1

See our previous story on IT in Bhutan: http://www.indiatechonline.com/bhutan-it-80.php  

See a video on how Bhutan does IT in our video spot for a few days