This small Himalayan Kingdom leads the world in the index of Gross National Happiness. And, while we are about it, we must also introduce a fresh dimension in our assessment of progress: the protection of our environmental capital must be included in the equation for measuring development, and not zero-valued as in the past.
This is essential to ensure that any fresh spurt of economic growth is channeled into a sustainable path and does not end in further land and human degradation. Otherwise, we shall hand over to our children a country whose famed natural beauty has been sadly overwhelmed by infrastructure and blighted by urbanisation.