DHI aims to be a leading organisation for the creation and management of wealth that will help Bhutan become a strong economy.
DRUK Holding & Investments (DHI), the largest government-owned company in Bhutan, has the challenging task of guiding the country on the path of economic growth and industrial development. Established in 2007, DHI is an autonomous organisation whose main function is to hold and manage the existing and future investments of the Royal Government of Bhutan for the long-term benefit of the people of the country.
Its aim is to be a leading sovereign organisation for the creation and management of wealth that will help the country emerge as a mature and globally competitive economy, guided by the principles of Gross National Happiness. At present DHI has shares in 17 companies. Eight of them are wholly owned by it; in two it holds majority shares. In the other seven companies, its shareholding ranges from 14 per cent to 48 per cent. The companies operate in diverse sectors such as energy, telecommunication, aviation, natural resources, finance and manufacturing.
DHI's stated objective is to accelerate socio-economic development, enhance national wealth, help build a dynamic economy for a vibrant democracy and lead and stimulate private sector development. The eight wholly-owned companies are Bhutan Power Corporation, Bhutan Telecom, Drukair Corporation, Druk Green Power Corporation, DHI Infra, Dungsam Cement Corporation, Dungsam Polymers, and Natural Resource Development Corporation.
Most of these companies play crucial roles in the everyday life of the people of Bhutan. Bhutan Power Corporation is responsible for the distribution of electricity to the country's households. Bhutan Telecom provides telephone (fixed line and mobile) and Internet services along with 58 other value-added services, and is the largest telecom company in the country. The Natural Resource Development Corporation is responsible for extracting construction materials such as timber, sand and stone and ensuring that they are made available at affordable prices. Druk Green Power is working towards achieving the goal of 10,000 MW of power generation by 2020. Drukair is the national airline of the kingdom.
DHI Infra is relatively new in the DHI family. It was established in 2011 primarily to promote and develop Bhutan's infrastructure projects. The most important function of DHI Infra is to carry out studies, submit policy and regulatory feedbacks to the government, and initiate a transparent bidding mechanism for potential investors.
DHI also has controlling stake in Bank of Bhutan and the State Trading Corporation of Bhutan. The Education City Project is an important venture of the DHI for the development of Bhutan's Knowledge Hub. Another important DHI venture is the Thimphu Tech Park. The project, funded by the World Bank, is to facilitate development of the information and communications technologies (ICT) sector and help Bhutan establish itself as an ICT hub.
The 126-MW Dagachu Hydropower Project is also a key DHI project, and it is scheduled to be operational by 2013. It is funded by the Asian Development Bank and has the Tata Power and National Pension Fund as joint venture partners. DHI also intends to develop SEZs to set up agro-based, ICT, manufacturing and service industries.
The SEZ planned at Gelepchu will come up on 1,000 acres, and the ones at Samtse and Samdrup Jonkhar on 500 acres and 150 acres respectively. DHI is also looking at investment opportunities in organic farming, renewable energy, and alternative building materials.
DHI has also envisioned a Wellness Resort-a high-end residential facility that provides holistic wellness programmes for improving one's health and facilitating a state of wellbeing.
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