UML DECIDES TO SEND TOP THREE LEADERS TO POLITICAL BODY OF THE FOUR Kathmandu, 21 March: Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Sharma Oli are to be sent by UML to a high-level political committee, of four major political forces directing the Khil Raj Regmi government. The party standing committee took the decision Wednesday even as only two seats have been set aside for each party. nnnn . TOP POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED IN SMUGGLING OUT IFOREIGN CURRENCY NOTES ASKED TO APPEAR BEFORE POLICE Kathmandu, 21 March: Nepal Police through a public notice Wednesday asked SSP Rabi Raj Shrestha to submit in writing in seven days why he shouldn’t be dismissed without making him ineligible for future government dismissed. . Shrestha was asked to submit a clarification within seven days after notice publication in Gorkhapatra. SSP Shrestha was suspended after he helped Indian national Binod Kumar Soni smuggle out Rs. 12.4 million in currency notes from TIA last October to Dubai. Nnnn BHUTANESE REFUGEE DIES OF BURNS UNDER TREATMENT Kathmandu, 21 March: Bhutanese refugee Kamal Khanal died of burns while undergoing treatment at TU Teaching Hospital Wednesday. He was severely burnt in a fire at Morang’s Sanischare refugee camp 16 March. nnnn LOANS TO HOTELS DECLINE Kathmandu, 21 March:: In the first seven months of the current fiscal year, the growth rate of loans floated by the financial sector to the hotel sector decreased by half as compared to the previous year, The Himalayan Times reports.. The central bank’s statistics reveal that during the first seven months, total loan percentage was eight per cent, which stood at 16.8 per cent in the same period last year. According to Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), tourism entrepreneurs are not willing to invest more in the tourism sector as there is no security to their investment. “Hoteliers will not invest if there is no return,” said a HAN official. Due to low number of bookings in third month of the year too, hotel entrepreneurs are worried that are in for a tough time this year. According to HAN, though March is a tourist season most of the hotels here have showed serious concern regarding falling bookings and reservations. “We lack special programmes and promotional activities this year and that is why we are not receiving good arrivals even in the tourist season,” claimed tourism entrepreneurs. In first seven months of 2011-12, total loans floated to the hotel sector was Rs 1850.5 million which has now dropped to Rs 1147.9 million. HAN also expressed its discontent over Nepal Tourism Board (NTB)’s failure to coordinate with the private sector while participating in various international promotional programmes. However, NTB said fall in the growth rate of loans to the hotel sector does not mean that tourism entrepreneurs are not investing in the hotel sector. “Tourism entrepreneurs are earning more than what they were earning in the early 2000s,” said director of marketing and planning at NTB Kashi Raj Bhandari. He said the investment and loan amount in 2006 was quite high but by the end of 2007, earnings of tourism sector had increased which has kept tourism entrepreneurs at a safe side and that is why they are making investments on their own instead of taking loans. nnnn. DEFIANT SCHOOLS TO BE PENALISED Kathmandu, 21 March: The government today [Wednesday] directed authorities to monitor and penalise the schools that have been defying the Institutional Schools Criteria and Operation Directives-2013, The Himalayan Times reports.. Issuing a press release, the Department of Education said some institutional schools continue to fleece parents in the name of admission forms and entrance tests, defying the directives the Ministry of Education issued a month ago. According to the directives, institutional schools are allowed to charge a maximum of Rs 25 for admission form and Rs 100 for entrance. A THT report had found the schools to be charging up to Rs 1,000 for admission forms. “We urge schools concerned to not charge more than the amount mentioned in the directives,” reads the statement, adding, “We also direct the authorities to regularly monitor the scenario in schools and penalise them if they are found violating government directives.” It further warned of action as per the Education Act if the schools continue to disobey the government directives. nnnn