For years, the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan boasted that it was mostly concerned with Gross National Happiness -- and now it's really going to try to actually measure it. The idea of focusing on Gross National Happiness (GNH) rather than Gross National Product (GNP) was the brainchild of ex-king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who sought to steer Bhutan into the modern world while preserving its unique identity. Now with the pressures of globalization and materialism mounting, and the tiny country set for its first-ever elections Monday, officials are looking at calculating just how happy the kingdom's 670,000 people are. “We may call it the Bhutan Development Index, or GNH Index,” said Karma Tshiteem, the head of Bhutan's planning commission -- which was earlier this year renamed the Gross National Happiness Commission. “It is not antithetical to economic growth, but growth should reflect what people want,” Tshiteem said of the GNH concept, which stresses a range of criteria for national well-being. “Environment, culture and tradition are the aspects that are important to Buddhist people,” Tshiteem said in Thimphu, the tiny capital nestled in the hills, which is devoid of high-rise buildings, traffic jams and smog. Officials said they have already conducted a survey of around 1,000 people and drawn up a list of parameters for being happy – similar to the development index which is tracked by the United Nations. The main concerns have been identified as psychological well-being, health, education, good governance, living standards, community vitality and ecological diversity. “The main purpose of the index is to evaluate whether the plans, policies and programs of the government conform to the GNH concept,” said Phuntsho Rapten of the Center for Bhutan Studies. __
