Apropos of the editorial “Food crisis” (THT, Jan. 11, Page 8), the report of debilitating food shortage and ballooning prices of such important sources of iodine as salt, coupled with government apathy, ineptitude and inaction, gives our country the semblance of the former bus driver Maduro’s Venezuela (Venezuela decrees ‘economic emergency’ reveals depth of crisis, “THT, Jan. 17, Page 13). Like the Latin American oil-rich socialist country, which blames dipping oil prices and economic foes, for its travails, our authorities, including government contractors, are shirking their duties and responsibilities towards the affected people not just in Karnali but everywhere else in the country by blaming the earthquake, chronic fuel shortage and the Indian blockade. Reportedly 2000 quintals of allocated life-saving foodstuff cannot be delivered to famine-ravaged Karnali due to transportation problem spurred by the Indian blockade. Further the government reneges on its promise of payment to new mothers and pregnant women In Humla primarily because of lack of co-ordination and outright negligence “New mothers in Humla deprived of allowance, warm clothes” (THT, Jan. 18, Page 5). Plus a maximum of 78 bags of pledged warm clothes for 78 new mothers a year cannot be delivered, again, due to the great transportation problem! This seems to be a case of out of sight and out of mind. Had the government been seriously caring about the fate of the unfortunate people, it could have asked the northern neighbour for help in delivering food grains, salt and bags of clothing through Hilsa. After all, we have decided to diversify our trade and transit with them and will be using, among others, Yari route in Humla for the same. Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu Clarification With regard to the news story “Schools with foreign curricula told to register” (THT, Jan. 19, Page 3) it is clarified that the Nepal Bharat Maitri Vidyalaya (NBMV) located within the premises of Pension Paying Office Pokhara, is being run by Embassy of India based on a Memorandum of Agreement between Govt of Nepal and Govt of India signed in 2006. The CBSE affiliated NBMV School, being run with the permission of Govt of Nepal and based on the Memorandum of Agreement, was established duly recognizing the long pending demand of Nepal domiciled ex-servicemen residing in areas around Pokhara. Presently the school has over 400 students comprising of wards of Indian Gorkha Rifles Nepalese ex-servicemen and local Nepalese populace. In pursuance of academic excellence and ensuring education welfare, the school every year provides up to 40% scholarship to the students. The School has well equipped laboratories, library and other essential modern educational infrastructure. It has been the endeavour of the school to impart quality education and to ensure all round personality development of the students. This is being achieved by a pool of 50 well qualified local Nepalese teachers and support staff. The school is indeed an Institution symbolising ‘Friendship and Cooperation’ between India and Nepal. Ruby Jaspreet Sharma, Spokesperson, Embassy of India, Kathmandu