KATHMANDU: Sajha Prakashan, considered to be the parent of all Nepali publications, has drawn the attention of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Kamal Thapa towards the present status of the Prakashan. A team comprising General Manager of the Prakashan, Dolindra Prasad Sharma; former Ministers for Education Pradeep Nepal and Dinanath Sharma; and litterateur Krishna Hari Baral among others held a meeting with DPM Thapa at the latter's office in Singha Durbar today. During the meeting, the Sajha team urged the government to issue a directive to all the local bodies to buy the books of the Prakashan so as to promote its sales and reading habit. Receiving a memorandum submitted by the representatives, DPM Thapa pledged to issue a directive to all the local bodies to create an atmosphere for the purchase of the Prakashan's books in local bodies. This 51-year-old publication house currently has books worth Rs 220 million in its stock. The Prakashan, which publishes various academic and literary books, had earlier witnessed a financial transaction worth Rs 1 billion yearly. Lately, its annual sales have shrunk to Rs 150 million.